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SOLOMON SI AS, A. M., M. D. 



A SUMMARY 

OF 

SCHOHARIE COUNTY, 

GIVING THE 
Organization, Geography, Geology, History. 

PRKPARED AT THK RKOUHST 
OF THE ; '. , 
COUNTY TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION 

BY 

SOLOMON SIAvS, A. M., M. D, 



PRESS OF PJBRJ?!; W. DANFORTH. Aliddlelnirgli, N. Y. 
1904. 



s 






nwaarwap. i u ii ■■■iim i iiii n iwii 
LiBS?a^ nf QONGRESS 

TVW) Ooeies Hereiv«J 

OCT 19 ^904 
OoByrfeht Entry 

GLASS «. XXo. No. 



COPY B 



•..tJSpy right, 1904, 
Bv SOLOMON SIAS, 



tt^..., 'J\ ikAa. 



PREFACE. 



At a meeting of the County Teachers' Association I 
was requested to prepare a booklet respecting the 
County. The following pages are the result. When 
the work of collecting the material commenced I 
thought it would be easy to prepare the book et^ but 
soon found the question was not so nuKh-What to 
put in, as What to leave out; and next, How best to 
arrange the material used. I do not claim there are 
no errors in statement, data, or in arrangement, but 
have endeavored to avoid them. 

The following is a partial list of the authorities con- 
sulted: Roscoe, Sims, and Warner's 1"^'' "^f; °^"- 
forth's Directory; Kimm's Iroquois; Cady's Old Stone 
Fort- Hendricks, Roberts, and other histories of the 
State; State publications- such as Coloni^al and Docu- 
mentary histories. New York in the Revolution, Su h^ 
van's Expedition, Centennial Cekb at.ons, and the 
Legislative Manual; the Regent^ and the State Super- 
intendent's publications; Cobb's Story of the Palatines; 
Srrington'; Battles of the Revolution; Montgomery, 
Fiske. and other American histories. 

I thank Dr. H. F. K»§sley, Secretary of th^^oun 
ty Historic^ Sodety, for Swoks and material; Prot. b. 



II 

C. Kimm for suggestions and assistance; Mr. Charles 
E. Kniskern for the cut of the oldest building in the 
county; the Supervisors, School Commissioners, and 
Teachers for assistance in collecting and authenticat- 
ing the material used. 
Schoharie, N. Y. 

SOLOMON SIAS. 



SUMMARY OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. Origin and Organization. 
I, Name; -II, County, history of formation; -III, 
Formation of Towns; -IV, Political,- Town;- County, 
legislative, judicial;-State, legislative, judicial; -United 
States, legislative, judicial, U. S. District Court, U. S. 
Circuit Court;-V, Incorporated villages; -VI, Miles of 
highway in towns; -VII, Post offices, list of;-VIII, Ed- 
ucational; -School Commissioners District., Schools in; 
Superintendance, history of;- Early school buildings ;- 
School nioneys;-State appropriation, sources of ;-Tax;- 
Regents;- IX, Educational Wave; -present disposition; 
-X, Political Representation, history of;- XI, Public 
buildings;- XII, Holidays, law of;- XIII, Latitude 
and Longitude, table of;- XIV, Calendar from 1770 
to 1784. 

CHAPTER II. Geography.— I, Relief; -II, Rivers 
and tributaries;- III, Lakes;- IV, Inhabitancy and In- 
dustries;- V, Natural curiosities, falls, caves, springs, 
subterranean rivers;- stone heap. 

CHAPTER III. GKOI.OGY.— I, Introduction;- 
Forces;- III, Divisions;- IV, Early continent;- V, Or- 
igin and position of rocks;- VI, Table of Formations;- 



Vlt, Schoharie County Geology;- VIII, Trip across 
the County;- Formations to be found in each town; - 
IX, Glacial phenomena; - X, Tlie great continental 
glacier;- XI, Effect of glacier. 

CHAPTER IV. Historical.— I, Indian trails; - 
II, Use made of them;- IH, Indian inhabitancy;- IV, 
Fort at Central Bridge;- V, Settlement by the white 
man;- VI, The Palatines in New York,- Settlement, 
Dispersion; -VI I, Palatines in Schoharie Valley,- Set- 
tlement, Dispersion;- VIII, Early incidents;- IX, In- 
dians join the British,- reasons for their action;- X, 
Preparation for trouble,- Committee of Safety;- Arm- 
ing the Citizens,- Division into Districts;- XI, Forts 
in Schoharie Valley,- Signals of danger;-- XII, Des- 
cription of the Forts-- Upper-- Middle-- Uower,— Block- 
houses, Fort Du Boise;-- XIII, The forts as strategical 
points. 

CHAPTER V. Raids During the Revolution. 
1777, McDonald's raid,-- effect of engagement. 1778, 
Battle of Cobleskill,-- Act of heroism,-- Troops sent to 
Schoharie Valley. 1779, no raids. 1780, Brant' s,-- 
Crysler's,- Seth Henry's,-- Brant's second raid,-- 
Johnson's,— criticism of a tradition. 1781, Sharon 
battle,- Cobleskill raid,-- Brant and Crysler's raid. 
1782, Crysler's raid;.- Treatment of prisoners; --Routes 
taken carrying off prisoners. 



CHAPTER VI. The Towns. Blenheim; --Broome 
--Elerson, Williams, Shay;-- Carlisle;- Cobleskill;- 
Conesville;-- Esperance,-- the Albany and Susquehan- 
na railroad;-- Fulton;— Gilboa;-- Jefferson;-- Middle- 
burgh;-- Richmondville;-- Schoharie;- Seward; — 
Sharon;- Summit;- Wright. 



SUMMARY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 



CHAPTER I. 
Origin and Organization. 

I. NAME. 

The word "Schoharie" is said to be of Indian origin, 
and its meaning "Driftwood." 

A little south of where the present village of Middle- 
burgh is situated a stream "Line kill" enters the river 
on the west side. Almost directly opposite another 
stream "Little Schoharie" enters on the east side. 
The conflicting currents of the three streams caused 
the drift-wood brought down by them to accumulate 
until it became a continuous and permanent raft 
stretching across the river and so firm it could be used 
as a bridge. The position of the streams, raft, and 
mountain west of the river are quite well represented 
on the seal adopted by the County Historical Society. 

I I . COUNTY. 

Prior to 1772 all that part of the province lying 
north of Ulster County was called Albany County. 



14 NUMMARY OF 

In 1772 all that part west of the north and south line 
of the Schoharie river and its continuation was formed 
into Tryon county and so named in honor of William 
Tryon at that time the popular governor of the prov- 
ince. In 1784 the name was changed to Montgomery 
in honor of Richard Montgomery, the Commander of 
the New York forces in the Canadian expedition, and 
killed in the disastrous attack upon Quebec, December 
31st, 1777. 

In 1 79 1 Otsego county was formed out of Montgom- 
ery. 

In 1 795 Schoharie county was formed out of Otsego 
and Albany counties. Otsego furnishing that part ly- 
ing west of the Schoharie river and Albany that part 
lying east of it. 

In 1836 a small part of Greene county was annexed 
and used in the formation of the town of Conesville. 

For several years prior to 1795 petitions were sent to 
the State Legislature urging the formation of the 
County, but little attention however was paid to them 
until the session of 1795. Among those most active 
for its formation were George Tiffany, who had been a 
student in the law office of Aaron Burr in New York 
city and was now settled near the old stone fort in 
Schoharie; Jacob Gebhard, a well educated lawyer who 
had settled in the present village of Schoharie; Jona- 



1 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 15 

than Danforth, an educated law3'er that had located in 
the present village of Middleburgh; William Beekman, 
John Rice, and Calvin Rich, lawyers and stirring men 
that had settled in Seward and Sharon. 

April 6th, 1795, the legislature passed the act form- 
ing Schoharie County out of Albany and Otsego coun- 
ties, and on the loth of June Governor Clinton ap- 
pointed William Beekman as first Judge and Abram B. 
Vroman, John M. Brown, David Sternberg, and Jona- 
than Danforth as Assistant Judges. 

Mr. Beekman was 28 years old when he was thus 
appointed and held the ofBce for 43 years. The first 
court house is still standing in the village of Schoharie. 
It was used for both Court house and jail until the 
building of the Court house in 1800. The first court 
was held May 31st, 1796, with William Beekman, 
First Judge, and Adam Vroman and Jonathan Dan- 
forth, Assistant Judges. 

III. TOWNS. 

From Schoharie, which was organized as a town in 
Albany County in 1788, was taken at the organization 
of Schoharie County in March, 1797, the towns of 
Middleburgh, Blenheim, Broome, Cobleskill, and 
Sharon. The county was thus divided at first into six 
towns, and these are frequently called "The Original 



16 SUMMARY O^ 

Towns." Middleburgh was called Middletown, but 
the name was changed in iSoi to the present one. 
Broome was called Bristol, but in honor of Lieut. Gov- 
ernor John Broome it was changed in 1808 to its pres- 
ent name. 

Since 1803 ten more towns have been formed in the 
county. The following table gives the date of the 
formation of tlie 16 towns now comprising the county, 
and from what they were formed. But some of the 
boundary lines have been changed since the towns 
were first formed, so that a map giving the boundary 
lines of the different towns at their formation would 
not in every case exactly coincide with one of recent 
date. The map accompanying this booklet is designed 
to give the towns as they now are. 

Date. Town, Fkom what takex. 

1788 Scholiarie 

1797 Blenheim Sdjoharie. 

1707 Broome Sclioharie. 

1797 Col)leskill S'chohario. 

1797 Middleburgli Schoharie. 

1797 Sharon Sclioharie. 

1803 Jefferson l^lenheim. 

1807 Carlisle Cobleskill and Sharon. 

1819 Summit Cohleskill and Jefferson. 

1828 Fulton Middleburgh. [Co. 

1830 .. Conesville Broome, and Durham in Greer.e 



SCliOHARiE COUNTY. if 

1840 Seward Sharon. 

1846 Esperance Schoharie. 

1846 Wright Schoharie. 

1848 Gilboa x... Blenheim and Broome. 

1849 Richmondville Cobleskill. 

IV. POLITICAL. 

1. Towns. At the town meeting held in February 
the voters elect a Supervisor, whose term of office is 2 
years; Justices of the Peace, term 4 years; and various 
other officers, whose term of service is limited by law. 
There is no age limit to any town officer. 

2. County, a. legislativk. The Board of Sup- 
ervisors, consisting of the 16 Supervisors of the towns, 
meets annually at the County seat as a Local Legisla- 
ture for the Count3^ It has power to choose a Clerk 
who is not a supervisor, has jurisdiction over high- 
ways, the protection of fish and game, and various 
other matters conferred upon it by law. It also meets 
after a General Election as a Board of Canvassers. 
The following was adopted at the session of the Board 
held November, 1902 : 

''Resolved, That the Town meetings, in and for the 
County of Schoharie, be held on the third Tuesday of 
February for the next four years, and thereafter until 
otherwise ordered. ' ' 

b. judicial. The County Judge is elected by the 

2 



18 SXJMMARY OF 

voters in the Several towns for a term of 6 years; his 
salary is fixed by law and payable out of the County 
treasury; age limit is 70 years. The Sheriff ^ County 
Clerk, and District Attorney are elected for 3 years. 
The Sheriff cannot be elected for the term next suc- 
ceeding that in which he holds the office. The Coun- 
ty Clerk also acts as clerk of the Supreme Court when 
held in the county. 

3. State. c7. lkgIvSLATive. The poHtical year 
and legislative term begin on the first day of January, 
and the legislature must assemble on the first Wednes- 
day in January each year. The assembly consists of 
150 members, elected for one year, and Schoharie 
County is entitled to one Assemblyman. The Senate 
consists of 50 members, elected for two 3'ears, and 
Schoharie County belongs to the 27th Senatorial Dis- 
trict — comprising the counties of Hamiltou, Fulton, 
Montgomery, and Schoharie. 

The salary for members of the legislature is $1500, 
with ten cent mileage once each way during a session. 
The election is held on the Tuesday succeeding the 
first Monday of November. 

/;. JUDICIAL. The State is divided into 8 judicial 
districts. Schoharie County belongs to the 3rd district 
— comprising the counties of Schoharie, Albany, Ren- 
sselaer. Greene, Coknnbia, vSullivan, and Ulster. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 19 

The salary of the Justices is $5,ooo per year, and in 
addition they receive $1,200 each for expenses. 

4. United States, a. legislative. The State 
is divided by the Laws of 1901 into 37 Congressional 
Districts, each of which elects a Member of the House 
of Representatives. Schoharie County belongs to the 
24th district, which comprises the counties of Scho- 
harie, Delaware, Otsego, and Ulster. 

Senate. The State Legislature, in joint session, 
elects two Senators. Length of term is 6 years. 

The salary for Representatives and Senators is $5,000 
per annum, and 20 cents mileage in going and return- 
ing once each session. For each day's absence, except 
when caused by sickness, eight dollars per day may be 
deducted from the salary. 

d. JUDICIAL. "United States District Court." — 
Schoharie County belongs in the "Northern District of 
New York." The district embraces twenty-nine coun- 
ties lying in the north-eastern part of the State. The 
southern tier of counties in this district consists of 
Rensselaer, Albany, Schoharie, and Delaware: the 
western tier of Cayuga, Tompkins, and Tioga. 

"United States Circuit Court."— The States of Ver- 
mont, New York, and Connecticutt constitute the 
"Second District." 



% 



SUMMARY O't 



V. INCORPORATED VILLAGES. 

According to the Legislative Manual for 1902, com- 
monly called "The Red Book," there are six Incor- 
porated Villages in the County. Arranged alphabeti- 
cally they are: Cobleskill, Esperance, Middleburgh, 
Richmondville, Schoharie, Sharon Springs. In point 
of time Esperance leads, having been incorporated by 
the Legislature in 18 18. 

The Manual for 1903 gives the total population of 
the whole 16 towns in the County as being 26,854. 



VI. 



HIGHWAYS. 



Historian Roscoe, quoting from surveys made by 
S. N. & D. G. Beers, for map purposes, gives the fol- 
lowing as the number of Miles of Highways in each 
town. 



Blenheim, 59i. 
Broome, 100^. 
Carlisle, GO. 
Cobleskill, 53^. 
Conesville, 73. 
Esperance, 37}. 
Fulton, 104. 
Gilboa, 115^. 
Jefferson, 8I.t. 



Middleburoh, 77. 
Richmondville, 58J. 
Schoharie, 58}. 
Seward, 61. 
Sharon, 82]-. 
Summit, 7-^}. 
Wright, 62]. 

Total number of miles 
in the County 1161}. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 



21 



VII. POST OFFICES. 

There are 55 post offices in the county, of which 27 
are Money Order offices. Cobleskill, Middlebiirgh, 
and Schoharie issue Foreign as well as Domestic Money 
orders. In the following list the Money Order offices 
are marked with a star. 



•■■Argnsville. 

Barnerville. 

Bates. 

Beard's Hollow. 
*Breakabeen. 

Broome. Center. 
■'Carlisle. 

Carlisle Center. 
■■'•Central Bridge. 
-'■'Charlotte ville. 
^Cobleskill. 

Conesvillc. 

East Cobleskill. 

Dorloo. 

■Eminence. 
•■Esperance. 

Fdirland. 

Franklin ton. 



Fultonham. 
■'•Gallupville. 
-Gilboa. 

Grovernors Corners 
'Howe's Cave. 

Hunterland. 
•Hyndsville. 
♦Jefferson. 

Jerome. 

Lawyersville. 
'■Livingstonville. 

Lutheran ville, 
'Mackey. 

INIanorkill. 
-Middleburgh. 

jVlineral Sprinjjfs. 
"■'•North Blenheim. 

Patria. 



Proper. 
•••Richmondville. 

Ruth. 
■'•Schoharie. 
■Seward. 
■■'•'Sharon. 

Sharon Center. 
"■•■Sharon Springs. 

Shutter's Corners 
■■■•'Sloansville. 

South Gilboa. 
'South Jefferson. 

Stewart. 
■■•Summit. 

Vinton ton. 
' Warnerville. 

We^t (^onesville. 

■West Fulton. 
West Uichm'dville 



VIII. EDUCATIONAL. 

I. Commissioner Districts. The County is di- 
vided into two School Commissioner Districts. The 
following list gives the towns and the number of school 
districts having school houses in the town in each 
Commissioner' s District. 



22 SUMMARY OF 

First District. Blenheim, ii; Broome, 15; Cones- 
ville; 12; Esperance, 7; Gilboa, 16; Middleburgh, 11; 
Schoharie, 6; Wright, 10. Total number of districts, 
88. 

Second District. Carlisle, 9; Cobleskill, 9; Fulton, 
15; Jefferson, 12; Richmondville, 9; Seward, 11; Shar- 
on, 14; Summit, 14. Total number of districts, 93. 

There are therefore at present 181 school districts in 
the Count}'. 

2. School Super intkndknck. Schools were 
started by the early settlers almost as soon as they had 
made permanent settlements, but they were the schools 
of the locality where they were started, they had no 
relation to other settlements, and had no common sup- 
ervision or superintendance. 

All through the British Colonial period there was 
no system of education for the young, and the requests 
of the people were met with indifference or open dis- 
like by those in authority. 

It was Governor George Clinton— the first governor 
of the new State of New York — who laid the founda- 
tion of the system of Common Schools. No sooner 
was the war ended than this gallant soldier and farsee- 
ing statesman devoted his energies to this subject and 
called upon the Legislature to act. He said — "The 
neglect of education of youth is an evil. The establish- 



SCHOHARIE COT^NTY. 23 

ment of Common Schools throughout the State will 
be attended with the most beneficial consequences." 

In 1784 the Legislature incorporated the Regents of 
the University. They were not primarily established 
for common school purposes. The prevailing idea at 
that time was that the State should confine its efforts 
to colleges and academies and not be responsible for 
common schools. The Regents however in 1793 sent 
to the Legislature a strong plea in behalf of common 
schools, and recounted the benefits that would result 
from their establishment. 

In 181 2 a Legislative Commission— headed by Jedid- 
iah Peck, a plain farmer of Otsego — presented a Report 
to the Legislature that gave a comprehensive statement 
of the educational needs of the State, and practical 
means of supplying them; recommended State care and 
-supervision; and mapped out the most essential points 
■of the present system. The lyCgislalure established 
the office of State Superintendent and Gideon Hawle}', 
of Albany, was elected, at a yearly salary of 300 dol- 
lars. He served eight years when he was removed for 
political reasons and a person of so little ability ap- 
pointed Superintendent that the Legislature the next 
year — 1821 — abolished the ofhce and transferred its 
•duties to the Secretsiry of State. 

The different towiis ^elected a town Superintendent 



24 SUMMARY OF 

who granted licenses, visited the schools, and reported 
their condition to the County Clerk, and he in turn re- 
ported to the State vSrp^rintendent. 

In 1 841 the Legislature created the office of County 
Superintendent of Schools, who reported directly to the 
State Department after receiving the reports of the dif- 
ferent town Superintendents. Ezra Smith, John H. 
Salsbury, Luther Ilartwell, and Bartholomew Becker 
were successively the Superintendents in this County. 
In 1847 the office of County Superintendent was abol- 
ished, but the Town Superintendents continued to act. 

In 1854 the Department of Education was set off by 
itself under a "Stat^ Superintendent of Public Instruc- 
tion" elected by a joint session of the Legislature for a 
term of three years, — and Victor M. Rice of Buffalo 
was made the first Superintendent. 

In 1856 the office of Town Superintendent was 
abolished by the Legislature and the law passed creat- 
ing the present system of County School Commission- 
ers. Under this act the Board of Supervisors divided 
the county into two "School Commissioner Districts," 
and the first election under the law to fill the position 
in the County was held in November 1857. 

The Legislature in February 1904 passed an act 
changing the system of school supervision. A "Com- 
missioner of Education" was elected for a term of 6 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 25 

years, service commencing xA.pril ist, 1904, salary 
$7,500 with $1,500 additional for travelling expenses — 
making a total of $9000 per year. The Regents were 
red need to eleven, and their term of service to eleven 
years, one going out each succeeding year and his suc- 
cessor to be chosen in joint session of the Legislature. 
The Secretary of the Regents has hitherto been the Ex- 
ecutive officer of the Regents and the only one of them 
to receive a salary for the service rendered. This of- 
fice is now abolished and its duties given to the Com- 
missioner. The work hitherto done by the "State 
Superintendent of Public Instruction" is also transferr- 
ed to the Commissioner. The Commissioner is given 
power to create such departments as he thinks neces- 
sary, appoint deputies and heads of such departments, 
fix the salaries of all deputies, appointees, and employ- 
es of the departments, and distribute all moneys appro- 
priated by the State for Educational purposes that 
have been hitherto distributed by either the Regents 
or the Superintendent of Public instruction. 

3. Early School Buildings. Jefferson Academy. 
This was the pioneer of academic schools in the county. 
The building was three stories high and stood a little 
in front of the present Union School House. It was 
occupied in 18 17 and closed in 1852. While the school 
was in existence it was an excellent one, and was well 



26 SUMMARY OF 

patronized uutil near its close. 

Esperance Academy. The old stone building on the 
north side of main street in the village of Esperance 
is something cf a landmark. Joshua M, Donaldson — 
a graduate of Union College — opened a school in it in 
1 835 under the name of " ' Esperance Academy. ' ' Under 
his mangement the school flourished, had a good at- 
tendance, and did excellent work. Under his success- 
ors it declined, ceased to be a financial success, and 
finally closed. 

Schoharie Academy. The building — a substantial 
brick structure two stories in height, was erected in 
1835. There were 55 original stockholders, a capital 
stock of $3,450, and eight citizens of Schoharie consti- 
tuted the first Board of Trustees. The school w^as or- 
ganized in August 1836, with Horatio Waldo, Jr., as 
Principal. The Academy was incorporated by the 
Legislature April 28th, 1837, ^^^^^^ admitted under the 
Regents in 1839. ^^^ 1873 a Union Free School was 
established in the district in which the Academy was 
situated, and the Board of Education authorized by a 
vote of the district to adopt the Acale:n>- as the Aca- 
demic Department of the school. The transfer was 
made by the Trustees of the Academy July 9th, 1873. 
In 1 904 the building was taken down and a larger 
structure erected on nearly the same site. Thus 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 



27 




SCHOHARIE ACADEMY. 



passed out of existence the last of the old educational 
landmarks of the County. 

Cobleskill School Building. In 1845 John H. Sals- 
bur}' in his report as County Superintendent referring 
to school buildings in the county says — "That of Co- 
bleskill reflects credit upon the inhabitants, particular- 
ly those by whose voluntary subscription a sum suffi- 
cient was raised to rear it." In 1867 the present com- 
modious brick structure was erected and the old school 
house abandoned. 

4. School Moneys. There are two, and, in a few 
cases, three sources of money that can be used for the 



28 SUMMA.RY OF 

support of the schools in the county, — ( i) State appro- 
priation, (2) Local tax, (3) Regents appropriation. 

I. State Appropriation. This is three fold in its 
source, (i) The State Tax. The rate and the a- 
niount to be raised is fixed each year by the Legisla- 
Uire. (2) School Fund. This is the outcome of the 
sale of State lands. In 1805 the Legislature laid the 
foundation of this fund by setting apart as a perma- 
nent fund the net proceeds of 500,000 acres of State 
lands. The income of the School Fund is used for 
Educational purposes. (3) The United States 

Deposit Fund. In 1836 the surplus in 
the United States Treasury was distributed 
among the States. New York received $4,000,000. 
This is an inviolable deposit, the capital cannot be used 
for general or State goverment. The State apportioned 
the deposit among the countiesaccording to their popu- 
lation. The County appropriations were to be placed 
in the hands of two Loan Commissioners, who were to 
be appointed by the Governor, and whose duty is to in- 
vest it to the best possible advantage. The Legislature 
apportions a part of the income from this fund for Edu- 
cational purposes. 

The State moneys for Education derived from these 
three sources are apportioned by the State Superinten- 
dent of Public Instruction. The County Treasurer re- 



^'CHOilAklE a)UNTV. 2^ 

ceives from the State Treasurer the amount apportion- 
ed to the County by the Superintendent. The County 
School Commissioners apportion this amount to the dif- 
ferent towns and school districts. The County Treas- 
urer then pays to each Supervisor the share for his 
town, and the Supervisor pays it out on the orders of 
the Trustees of the several districts. 

2. Local Tax. The Annual School Meeting by 
vote raises such sums as it may deem necessary for the 
support of the district school the ensuing year. All 
votes that involve the expenditure of money or the levy- 
ing of a tax nuist be by ballot, or by taking and record- 
ing the ayes and nays. 

3. Regents Appropriation. This is made only to 
the schools under the visitation of the Regents, andean 
be used only in the Academic department and for such 
purposes as are designated by the Regents. 

IX. EDUCATIONAL WAVE. 

In 1850 an Educational wave struck the State and 
became almost "a craze" in the eastern part. The 
demand was for mammoth Boarding Schools capable 
of accommodating from 300 to 800 boarders, cheap 
rates for board and tuition, and a large faculty cap- 
able of teaching any branch or language that might 
be desired. In this countv it bes^^an with the erec- 



30 SUMMAKY OF 

tion of the New York Conference Seminary at 
Cbarlotteville in 1850. Richmondville, Carlisle, and 
Warnerville followed. The one at Charlotteville sur- 
vived until 1875; the others earlier proved financial 
loses and were closed. 

Following this great wave came the demand for a 
more diffused class of schools capable of imparting 
higher education, and what are called "Regents 
Schools" and "Graded Union Schools" came into 
existence. 

Regents Schools. These are schools that are recog- 
nized by the Regents of the University of New York, 
hold at stated times examinations — the Regents office 
furnishing the questions and having the final revision 
of the answer-papers. The successful applicants are 
granted Regents Certificates and Regents Diplomas. 
In the First School Commissioner's District there are 
two of these schools — Middleburgh and Schoharie. In 
the Second School Commissioaer's District there are 
four-— Cobleskill, Jefferson, Richmondville, and Sharon 
Springs. 

Graded Union Schools. In quite a number of the 
larger villages in each of the Commissioner Districts 
Graded Union Schools under the control of the State 
Superintendent of Public Instruction have been estab- 
lished; each employs several teachers, has a fixed 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 31 

course of study, and advances the pupils from grade to 
grade until they finish the course or leave the school. 

X. POLITICAL REPRESENTATION. 

Before the adoption of the State Constitution in 
1777, the settlements on the Schoharie and its branches 
were considered part of Albany County and were 
represented in the Albany Council or Committee of 
Safety; but by whom represented, and for how long 
each representative served I have been unable to posi- 
tively determine. 

From the adoption of the State Constitution in 1777 
to the formation of the County in 1795, one member 
from Schoharie represented the settlements in this sec- 
tion. For ten years (from 1777 to 1787) the repre- 
sentative was that staunch patriot, gallant and fearless 
hero — Col. Peter Vroman. who had been secretary of 
the local Committee of Safety, the defender of the 
Middle Fort in Johnson's raid in 1780, and who now 
lies buried in the cemetery of the Old Stone Fort at 
Schoharie. 

From the formation of the County in 1795 to 1802 
the County was represented in the State lyCgislature by 
one member; from 1802 to 18 16 the County w^as allow- 
ed two representatives; from 1816 to 1822 it was al- 
lowed three; from 1823 to 1858 it was allowed two; 



S^ SUMMARY OF 

since 1858 it lias been allowed one only. 

XI. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 

The Board of Supervisors have the charge, care, and 
supervision of what are termed the "Public Buildings;" 
they enact rules and regulations respecting the build- 
ings; ascertain what repairs, alterations, and equip- 
ments are needed, and levy a tax upon the County to 
meet the necessary expenditures. 

I . Court House. An act was passed by the State 
Legislature, April 4lh, 1798, authorizing the Super- 
visors in the several towns in the County to raise by 
tax a sum for the purpose of building a Court House 
and Jail, and appointed a Commission to supervise 
their construction. A question having arisen as to the 
location of the buildings, the Legislature appointed 
Abraham A. Post, of Ontario, Alexander H. Buell, of 
Herkimer, and William Duer, of Oswego, as Commis- 
sioners to examine the different localities and select 
the location. These Commissioners selected the pres- 
ent location for the buildings. 

The fall of 1800 found the buildings occupied but 
not yet completed, and a further sum was authorized 
to be raised by tax for their completion. 

In 1845 the building was burned by a prisoner, and 
.a larger and more connnodious building was erected in 



SCHOHARIE COL^NTY. 33 

1846. This was burned in the disastrous fire in 1870 
that laid waste a large portion of the business part of 
Schoharie village, and the present building was erected 
the same year. It is constructed of limestone procured 
from quarries near the village, and is calculated to be 
fire proof. It contains the County Clerk's office and 
records, the Surrogate's office, Court library, Sheriff's 
office, Supervisors' room, the Court room proper, 
Grand and Petit jury rooms, and apartments for the 
Sheriff and his family. 

2. Jail. This is a small two- story stone building 
in the rear of the court house. It was erected in 1846 
and escaped the conflagration of 1870. It has been 
remodelled within the past few years, and is now pro- 
vided with running water, heating apparatus, steel 
cells, and all that is supposed to be necessary for the 
safe and respectable confinement of prisoners. 

3. Poor House. This is situated in a command- 
ing site on the west side of the river between the vil- 
lages of Schoharie and Middleburgh. The present 
building was erected in 1838, was thoroughly repaired 
a few years since, and now gives a neat, quiet, and 
respectable home for its inmates. 

4. Old Stone Fort. This is situated on the main 
highway about one mile north of the court house, and 
is at present used as the Museum of the Schoharie 

3 



34 SUMMARY OF 

County Historical Society. 

The building was erected in 1772 by the Dutch Re- 
formed Church as a house of worship. The material 
was contributed by the inhabitants of the valley, and 
upon many of the stones in its walls may be seen carv- 
ed in deep letters the name of the donor, as plainly 
visible now as when cut more than one and a quarter 
centuries ago. 

During the Revolution the building was surrounded 
by a wall and pickets, and was known as the '%ower 
Fort." An account of this and the stirring events 
that occurred there will be given in another chapter. 
In 1785 the wall, block houses, and pickets were re- 
moved and the building became once more a place of 
worship. In 1857 the church, having removed to a 
structure nearer the court house, sold the old stone 
building to the State. The pulpit and seats were re- 
moved, and the building used as an arsenal. In 1873 
it was donated by the State to the County, and came 
into the care and keeping of the Board of Supervisors. 
In 1888 by a vote of the Supervisors, it was made the 
Museum of the County Historical Society, and now 
contains a valuable collection of documents, imple- 
ments, curios, maps, and relics connected with the 
early history of the County and surrounding section of 
the State. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. S5 



XII. HOLIDAYS. 



The question is frequently asked by teachers and 
pupils, "What are the legal holidays in this State?" 
Section 24 of Chapter 39, stating what they are became 
a law in February 1902, and reads as follows: 

"The term Holiday includes the following days in 
each year: — the first day of January, known as New 
Year's day; the twelfth day of February, known as 
Lincoln's Birthday; the twenty-second day of February, 
known as Washington's Birthday; the thirtieth day 
of May, known as Memorial day; the fourth day of 
July, known as Independence day; the first Monday of 
September, known as Labor day; and the twenty-fifth 
day of December, known as Christmas day; and if 
either of such days is Sunday, the next day thereafter; 
and each General Election day; and each day appoint- 
ed by the President of the United States or by the 
Governor of this State as a day of General Thanks- 
giving, General Fasting and Prayer, or other Religious 
observance. 

The term Half Holiday includes the period from 
noon to midnight ofeach Saturday that is not a holi- 
day. 

The days and half days aforesaid shall be considered 
as the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, 



S6 SUMMARY OF 

and as public holidays or half holidays for all purposes 
whatsoever as regards the transaction of business in 
the public offices of this State, or counties of this State. 
On all other days and half days, excepting Sunday, 
such offices shall be kept open for the transaction of 
business. 

Where a contract by its terms requires the payment 
of money or the performance of a condition on a pub- 
lic holiday, such payment may be made or condition 
on the next business day succeeding such holiday with 
the same force and effect as if made or performed in 
accordance with the terms of the contract." 

XIII. LATITUDE AND LONGITUDR. 

The Earth is an oblate spheroid. Owing to its ob- 
lateness the degrees of latitude increase in length as 
w^e pass from the equator toward the poles. As the 
meridians meet at the poles, degrees of longitude de- 
crease in length as we pass from the equator toward 
the poles. lyoomis, in his Practical Astronomy, gives 
the length of a degree of latitude at the equator as 
68.81 miles, and a degree of longitude as 69. 16 miles. 
At latitude 42 degrees 30 minutes, he gives a degree 
of latitude as 69. 13 miles, and a degree of longitude as 
51.07 miles in length. The position of the following 
places is taken from the Reports of the State Survey, 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY 



37 



and from them we can easily ascertain the approximate 
latitude and longitude of other places in the County. 
The place and building is given in the table. 



Albany 

Esperance 

Schoharie 

Middleburgh 

Cobleskill 

Richmondville 

Summit 

Carlisle 

Sharon Springs 



Capital 

M. E. Ciiurch. . . 
Lutheran Church... . 

M. E. Church 

Hotel Augustin 

Hotel 

Hotel 

Presbyterian Church 
HoteL 



Latitu 


de. 


Longit 


ide 


deg- 


mill 


sec 


deer 


mm 


sec 


42 


39 


05 


73 


45 


25 


42 


45 


38 


74 


15 


30 


12 


39 


51 


74 


18 


41 


42 


35 


47 


74 


20 


00 


42 


40 


40 


74 


29 


07 


42 


38 


02 


74 


33 


53 


42 


35 


41 


74 


35 


00 


42 


45 


22 


74 


26 


46 


42 


47 


52 


74 


36 


49 



XIY 



CALENDAR. 



We frequently wish to know on what day of the 
week a historical event occurred. For this purpose I 
have arranged the following calendar extending from 
1770 to 1784. On what day of the week did the battle 
of Bunker Hill occur, June 17, 177;? Look in the 
column of years for 1775; then lun horizontally across 
the page to the column headed June. We find the 
figure 5. Now turn to the table of days; pass down 
to the 17th; run horizontally across the page to the 
5th column. We find Saturday. It was therefore 
fought on Satujd.gy, June 17, 1775- 



SUMMARY OF 

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Ocl.Nov.Dec 



1770 


2 


5 


5 


1 


3 


6 


1 


4 


7 


2 


5 


1771 


3 


6 


6 


2 


4 


7 


2 


5 


1 


3 


6 


1772 


4 


7 


1 


4 


6 


2 


4 


7 


3 


5 


1 


1773 


6 


2 


2 


5 


7 


3 


5 


1 


4 


6 


2 


1774 


7 


3 


3 


6 


1 


4 


6 


2 


5 


7 


3 


1775 


1 


4 


4 


7 


2 


5 


7 


3 


6 


1 


4 


1776 


2 


5 


6 


2 


4 


7 


2 


5 


1 


3 


6 


1777 


4 


7 


7 


3 


5 


1 


3 


6 


2 


4 


7 


1778 


5 


1 


1 


4 


6 


2 


4 


7 


3 


5 


1 


1779 


6 


2 


2 


5 


7 


3 


5 


1 


4 


6 


2 


1780 


7 


3 


4 


7 


2 


5 


7 


3 


6 


1 


4 


1781 


2 


5 


5 


1 


3 


6 


1 


4 


7 


2 


5 


1782 


3 


6 


6 


o 


4 


7 


2 


5 


1 


3 


6 


1783 


4 


t 


7 


3 


5 


1 


3 


6 


2 


4 


7 


1784 


5 


I 


2 


5 


7 


3 


6 


1 


4 


6 


2 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 39 



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1 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


1 


* 


M 


T 


W 


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F 


S 


2 


M 


T 


W 


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F 


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<\i 


3 


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s 


vi^ 


M 


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M 


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M 


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M 


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9 


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11 


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12 


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w 


27 


F 


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u 


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\V 


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28 
29 
30 
31 


S 

M 
T 


M 

T 

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X 

w 

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CHAPTER II. 
Geography. 

I. RELIEF. 

To give the relief of the towns separately would in- 
volve a needless repetition of similar features, all that is 
needed in Town relief will be given in another chapter. 

The County, as a whole, slopes toward the north. 
It is quite elevated in the southern part which is almost 
a plateau if it is not really one, and is hilly in the north- 
ern part. It is traversed from south to north by two 
ridges, one east and the other west of the Schoharie river, 
which flows in a northerly direction through the central 
depression. The eastern ridge is the lower one. Its 
highest point is said to be Sager Warner, situated in 
the northeastern part of Middleburgh, and having an 
elevation of 2 1 1 7 feet above sea level. The wCvStern 
ridge is the higher one, having an elevation of 2428 
feet at Summit and an elevation of 1217 feet at the 
Sharon Springs hotel. 

It has commonly b£en said that these ridges were spurs 
of the Catskills, but geographers now tell us they be- 
long to that ridge of the Appalachian system which en- 
ters the State from Pennsylvania, crosses it in a north- 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 41 

eastern direction, and finds its culmination in this state 
in the Adirondacks. 

Both of these ridges are crossed by transverse valleys 
through which flow streams that enter the Schoharie 
river lying in the central depression which is largely a 
glacial valley modified in later geological times by 
lacustrine and fluviatile deposits. Along these streams 
on either or both sides are more or less extended mead- 
ows or flats rich in fertility and under good cultivation. 

Occasionally these streams have falls so beautiful 
they attract the frequent visitor. 

II. RIVERS. 

I. Catskill Crekk. This rises in Broome, fiows 
southeasterly through the town into Albany county, 
and finally empties into the Hudson at Catskill. In 
its passage through Broome it receives the inflow of 
several streams on both its northern and southern 
sides, the largest of which enters it at Livingstonville. 
"Cr3stal Lake," a small but pretty sheet of water ly- 
ing in Rensslaerville, Albany County, empties through 
the branch that enters the Catskill creek at Livingston- 
ville. Along the banks of the Catskill creek was one 
of the chief Indian trails mentioned in the Historical 
chapter as connecting the Hudson with the Susque- 
hanna and Charlotte rivers. 



42 SUMMARY OF 

2. Schoharie Rivek. This rises in the Catskill 
mountains in a small pond about i2 miles west of the 
Hudson in the town of Hunter in Greene County. 

It enters Schoharie County on the southern border 
and forms part of the boundary between Gilboa and 
Conesville; then flows across Gilboa, Blenheim, and 
Fulton; forms part of the boundary between Fulton 
and Middleburgh; then flows across Middleburgh, 
Schoharie, and Esperance; forms part of the boundary 
between Esperance and Schenectady County; then 
flows northerly to its junction with the Mohawk at 
Fort Hunter. 

During its passage across the County it receives the 
inflow of several streams on its eastern side, among 
which the principal are Manorkill, Plattenkill, Keyer's 
Creek, Little Schoharie, Stony Creek, and, lastly, 
Fox's Creek — which rises in Albany County, flows 
westerly through Wright, and enters the SchoharieRiver 
a little north of Schoharie village. Upon its western 
side the river receives several streams, among which 
the principal are Mine Kill, West Kill, Kenhuragara, 
Line Kill — which forms part of thj Louiidiry between 
Fulton and Middleburgh, and empties into the Scho- 
harie River almost directly opposite to the Little Scho- 
harie, the meeting of whose currents formed the raft of 
wood already mentioned; and, lastly the Cobleskill 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 43 

Creek — which rises in the town of Worcester, Otsego 
County, at an elevation of 1475 feet above the sea level, 
flows easterly through Richmondville, the central part 
of Cobleskill, and enters the Schoharie River at Cen- 
tral Bridge in the northern part of Schoharie. The 
principal branches of the Cobleskill Creek are Bear 
Gulf — which enters it at Richmondville, Stony 
Creek — which enters it just above Warnerville, and 
West Creek — which rises in Sharon and comes in at 
Warnerville. 

3. Charlotte RivKR. A short distance west of 
the village of Summit is a spring from which the Char- 
lotte River takes its rise, flows southwesterly, and where 
it leaves the town of Summit marks the junction of 
the three Counties of Schoharie, Delaware, and Otsego. 
Along its course it receives the inflow of several 
streams, and becomes one of the main branches of the 
Susquehanna. When Sir Wm. Johnson obtained his 
grant to lands in the valley he changed the Indian 
name of the stream to Charlotte in compliment to the 
Queen, wife of George in. 

One of the Indian trails across the county passed from 
the Schoharie to the Charlotte River, and down that 
stream to the main trail. 

4. Delaware River. This rises in Jefferson, 
flows south through the town into Utsyantha Lake, 



44 SUMMARY OF 

thence southerly into Delaware Bay. 

The waters of Schoharie County thus flow into the 
Mohawk, Hudson, Delaware, and Susquehanna Riveis. 
III. LAKEvS. 

But two bodies of water in the County are of suffi- 
cient size to have received the name of ' Xake." One 
is "Utsyantha," vSituated on the southern border of the 
county, in the southeastern part of Jefferson. It has 
an elevation of about 1800 feet above sea level, is re- 
ferred to in early deeds, is given in official maps, and 
is mentioned in historical documents. The other is 
"Summit Lake," with an elevation of a little more 
than 20CO feet, situated in the town of Summit, and, 
flowing through the West Kill, empties into the Scho- 
harie River at Blenheim. 

Visitors at Summit, beholding the natural beauty of 
its lake and its surroundings, and unacquainted with 
the early history of the county, the trails across it, the 
early land deeds, the maps, and the historical documents 
connected with the settlement ard history of the coun- 
ty, have thought L^ke Utsyantha and Summit Lake 
were one and the same. In this th?\- have been mis- 
taken. Utsyantha Lake and Summit Lake are two 
distinct bodies of water, are situated on what were two 
distinct lines of travel, and empty into two different 
bodies of water. 



SCMOHARiE COUNTY. 4h 

The legend connected with Lake Utsyantha is briefly 
this. A white man wooed and won an Indian maid. 
A child was born. The maiden's father, a chieftain, 
was enraged that she had married a white man and 
slew him; then taking the child, rowed to the center 
of the lake and threw it into the water. The maiden 
followed in her canoe, reached the spot where it had 
sunk and plunged into tlie lake. The chieftain recover- 
ed the body of his dead daughter and bore her to the 
top of Mount Utsyantha, where beneath a lonely and 
unknown mound she lies to-day. 

The historical events connected with Lake Utsyantha 
are given in another place. 

IV. INHABITANCY AND INDUSTRIES. 

In a general way the relief of a countiy determines 
its inhabitancy and its industries. The relief of Scho- 
harie County is such that no part is uninhabitable, no 
part unproductive. The flats on either side of its 
streams are rich in fertility, the hillsides are productive, 
and the summit of its hills — where not preserved for 
woodland — are arable. The streams furnish abundant 
power for mills and factories, and the rocks are laden 
with untold wealth although no metals are found in the 
county. 

The final factors in determining the industries of cnj^ 



46 SUMMARY OF 

locality are — (i) Cost of production; (2) Outlets fof 
the products; (3) Competition. 

In the days when small mills, tanneries, and factor- 
ies were remunerative the county was dotted with them. 
With the passing away of these industries the people 
turned their attention more to the different kinds of 
farming, nnd, more recently, to quarrying some of its 
vahiable rocks where the outlet permitted them to com- 
pete with other places. 

A stranger passing through the county and not tak- 
ing into consideration the effect of consolidation of 
capital in large factories, might think the industries of 
the county were declining. But decaying mills, crumbl- 
ing dams, and nearly forsaken buildings that were once 
filled with the hum of business, are more a protest 
against centralization than an indication of decline. 
It is to the praise of the inhabitants that as one industry 
has declined another, although perhaps less showy, has 
risen in its place. 

V. NATURAL CURIOSITIES. 

We may safely say Schoharie County possesses phy- 
siographic examples excelled by no County in the State 
and equalled only by few. Some of its valleys were 
hewn out by the slowly advancing glacier and the de- 
bris scattered all alons^ southward even as far as New 



SCtlOilAklE COUNTY. 4? 

Jerse}'; and as the great ice-sheet retired the water left 
in lakes or river courses formed the deep rich soil of 
the valleys and the upland plains. 

1. FalIvS. On «rome of the streams areprett}^ falls, 
like those on Mine Kill, nestling in their rock seclu- 
tion, never wild and turbulent but alwa3's beautiful. 
Among those best known and most frequenth' visited 
is Bouck's Falls on the Kenhuragara. Here the water 
dashes down in a twi-:ted descent over 120 feet into a 
pool it has excavated at its base. The cliffs on either 
side, rugged and shelving inward, present a setting for 
the picture that is enchanting as the foam white water 
dashes between them, now hidden by projecting rocks, 
now bursting into view. Other falls may be larger, 
and the descending sheet of water more continuous, 
but none in quiet beauty more attractive. When the 
stream is swollen the scene is entrancing in the rush of 
the water as it beats against the rock sides of the cleft 
or tumbles in tumultuous roar over the precipice. 
But in mid-summer, when we can encamp on the rocks 
beside the stream, it pleases the aesthetic sense. 

2. Cavks. In those portions of the county where 
limestone is the prevailing rock caves are numerous. 

Some of them are large and are known beyond their 
immediate locality, others are small and insignificant. 
All have been formed by imderground streams of water 



I 



48 SUMMARY OF 

flowing through cracks and seams in the rockj,. 
Where the rock beside the seams was hard winding 
ways and narrow passages were formed, where circum- 
stances were more favorable, the sides were worn away 
and rooms of varying shape and height were formed. 
In many of these rooms the water, laden with dissolved 
limestone and slowly oozing from the sides or ceiling, 
has found stalactites varying in beauty, <^ize, shape, 
and transparency; or, the water dropping on the floor 
has formed solid masses of white and beautiful stalag- 
mite. Underground distance, size, and height are em- 
inently deceptive. It is not plain, smooth walking 
with something at the farther end to be speedily reach- 
ed; the dark sides of the cavities seem far away in the 
dim light used; and the distance above is an unknown 
quantity in the torch-light glimmer. Imagination 
finds her garden of dt^light in these subterranean 
rooms. 

There are perhaps many undiscovered caves in the 
northern half of the county; the geological formation 
of the rocks and the hilly surface of the count}' favor 
their exi.stence; but of the twelve or more known to 
exist,, the four that have attained notoriety bej'ond 
their immediate locality are Nethaway's, about two 
miles southeast of the court hous^ at Schoharie; Geb- 
hard's. or as it is also called Ball's, on Barton Hill a- 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 49 

bout four miles east of the court house; Sellick's, as it 
is called from the first explorer, or McFail's, as it is 
also called from the accident that befell Professor 
McFail in exploring it, in Carlislt-; and Howe's Cave 
in Cobleskill, so named from Lester Howe the first ex- 
plorer and promoter of cave interests. From its ease 
of access, less danger in traversing, and being situated 
on the line of railroad Howe's Cave is by far the most 
noted. 

3. vSprings. There are several springs of mineral or 
sulphur water, mosth^ situated in the northern part of 
the county, that have obtained some celebrity as re- 
medial agents. The most noted of these are Mineral 
Springs in the southeastern part of Cobleskill — first de- 
veloped by Simeon Deyo, and the well known Sharon 
Springs in the northwestern part of the county. 

4. Subterranean Rivers. In the limestone dis- 
trict in the northern part of the county are several 
streams, which, after flowing as surface streams a con- 
siderable distance, sometimes several miles, disappear, 
flow underground for awhile, and then reappear as sur- 
face streams. Some of these streams when they re- 
appear are no larger than when they disappeared, in 
other cases the}' are considerably increased in volume. 
Three or four such streams are reported as existing in 
Carlisle and some in Sharon. 

4 



^6 BUMMARV OF 

Sims in his History of Schoharie Coiinty gives the 
following story of one that reappears at Batnerville 
and flows into the Cobleskill Creek; — "Brown's Mills — 
a grist and sawmill built by Captain Christian Brown, 
and the first erected in that part of the county — were 
situated on the road now leading from BarnerviUe to 
Cobleskill, about two miles from the latter place. 
They were erected on a stream of water a few rods from 
a deep pool whence it issued. It was unknown for 
many years where the water came from, until a saw- 
mill was erected by Abraham Kniskern in Carlisle on 
a stream which near the mill sank into the earth and 
disappeared. After this mill began to operate sawdust 
made its appearance in the pool near Brown's mills, 
three miles distant." 

5. Stone Heap. When the Schoharie valley was 
first settled by the white man a large stone heap, about 
4 rods long, 2 rods wide, and lo feet high was found 
a little north of the present village of Sloansville, by 
the side of the trail leading from Schoharie to the Mo- 
hawk. 

Although it was not a natural curiosity and has now 
disappeared it deserves mention as it gave a name, 
"The Stone Heap Patent," to the tract of land granted 
in 1770 to John Bowen, and also marked an angle in 
the division line between Albany and Tryon counties. 



SCHOtlAKIE COUNT\^ 5i 

It was made by the Indians adding to it small, flat, 
water-worn stones as they passed back and forth over 
the trail that went by it from the Sohoharie Valley to 
that of the Mohawk. Traditions vary as to the cause 
of its formation. One tradition is that it marked the 
grave of a noted chief. But it was not the usual cus- 
tom of Indian life to make such heaps for such pur- 
poses, and whenever it was done tradition was very 
careful to recount his deeds. The reason given by 
Roscoe in his "History of Schoharie County" for its 
formation agrees more nearly with Indian custom in 
other localities and is probably nearer the correct ex- 
planation for its existence. 

The following is condensed from Mr. Roscoe' s ac- 
count. Rev. Gideon Hawley, a missionary among the 
Mohawk and other tribes, accompanied by another 
missionary and an indian guide traveled the path that 
led by the heap in 1753. In his account Mr. Hawley 
says ' 'We came to a resting place aud slaked our thirst 
at the stream, when we perceived our indian guide 
looking for a stone, which having found, he cast it on 
a heap which for ages had been accumulating by pass- 
engers like him. I have observed in every part of the 
country and among every tribe of indians such heaps of 
stones to which stones are cast by indians who pass by. 
This custom or rite is an ackonwledtrment of an invisi- 



h2 SUMMARY OF 

ble being. The heap is their ahar, and the stoile that 
is added is the oblation of the traveller. ' ' 



CHAPTER III. 

Gkology. 
i. introduction. 

1. The study of the rocks is interesting. Whenever 
children see a geologist collecting specimens they 
gather around, watch him at work, examine curiously 
and carefully the specimens, and ask more questions 
and sometimes more difficult ones than he can readily 
answer at the time. Frequently they will run off and 
come back laden with rocks from which he can get 
specimens, or will tell him where he can successfully 
work. 

2. The study is profitable. Many have seen pieces 
of slate or shale in loads of coal and thought the pieces 
looked like the black shale near their homes, and have 
spent time and money in useless digging. Many have 
gone to bed dreaming of wealth in the gold or silver 
vein they erroneously thought they had found on their 
faims. Many have been sure tliere was gas or oil to 
be obtained by a little boring because they had seen 
bubbles rising through the water or an oily scum float- 
.in^ off upon it. Others ]Lave opened quarries with 



54 SUMMARY OF 

the expectatian of getting good flagging or building 
stone where they do not exist. 

3. The material for the study is found everywhere. 
It is in the stone walls beside the road, in the stone 

heaps in the field, as well as in the solid masses of rock. 
Some of the best specimens in the State Collection at 
Albany have been found in walls or in the loose stones 
of the plowed field. 

4. The study of nature is being more and more de- 
manded in our schools. 

Botany is very interesting. But it can only be pur- 
sued for a short time; the specimens collected fade, 
crumble, and soon lose their value. To properly 
mount and perserve them is too difficult for the greater 
number of our pupils. The collecting and studying of 
Insects is exceedingly interesting. But the specimens 
are liable to decay; few can mount them properly, and 
a still smaller number be able to preserve them for any 
length of time. Not so geological specimens, whether 
minerals or fossils. They can always be procured, do 
not fade nor crumble, will stand considerable hard us- 
age, and can be easily boxed or shelved. 

II. GEOLOGICAL FORCKS. 

Geologists assume the three following things. — 

I. The physical forces now in action have been the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 55 

same aud have been governed by the same laws through 
all past time. 

2. These forces — whether water, whid, heat, or 
chemical action — have produced results through all the 
ages like those observed about us now. 

3. While these forces are uniform in their nature 
some of them may have acted with greater intensity 
and some with less intensity in different geological 
times. The effect produced by the forces may therefore 
in some cases have required less time, and in other 
cases more time than is required now for the same re- 
sult. 

III. DIVISION OF GEOLOGY. 

1. Structural Geology. This treats of the different 
kinds of rock, their structure, and arrangement in beds 
or in unstratified masses. 

2. Historical Geology. This treats of the succession 
of events in the history of the rocks, and in the forma- 
tion of mountains and valleys, continents, coast lines, 
'Climate, and animal and vegetable life. 

3. Dynamic Geology. This treats of the causes, 
forces, or methods by which changes were brought 
ab^ut. 

4. Economic Geology, This treats of the character 
of the different kinds of rock, the uses to which they 



56 SUMMARY OF 

can be put, and their comparative value. 

Needed as these divisions may be in a geological 
text book we cannot in this short chapter make any se- 
parate or distinctive use of them. 

IV. THE KARLY CONTINENT. 

When North America first appeared above the 
waters of the new made Earth it was only a narrow V 
shaped strip of land extending from Labrador south- 
west to what are now the Great Lakes, then making a 
vSharp turn extended the other part of the V ^^ the 
northwest. So far as known this was the earliest dry 
land that ever appeared above the surface of the storm - 
tossed water, and it has therefore been said — "While 
America is historically the New World, from a scien- 
tific point of view it may truly be called the Old World." 

South of the narrow V shaped continent was a vast 
but shallow ocean. As the land gradually rose above 
the water the sediment deposited by the waters that 
beat upon its shores gradually extended the continent 
southward. But while this narrow strip gave a de- 
finite shape to the continent, how long it took for the 
continent to grow to its present size is beyond the 
power of man to estimate. Only He to whom "a 
thousand years are as a day' ' knows the time required. 



SCHOHARIE COUXTY. 67 

V. ORIGIN AND POSITION OF THE ROCKS. 

All of our rocks that lie in layers or beds, whether the 
layers are as thin as sheets of paper or are several feet 
tliick, have been deposited from water as sediment, and 
Geologists ascertaining their position in respect to each 
other have made out a consecutive series reaching from 
the lowest — or earliest deposited, to the highest — or 
latest deposited. This series they have divided into 
groups, formations, systems, and given to them distinc- 
tive names derived either from the places where they 
are best developed, from their fossil contents, or from 
their relation to each other. 

Professor Merrill, in a Bulletin issued by the New 
York vState Museum, says —"New York is the mother 
state in Geologic nomenclature, and the names chosen 
by its early corps of geologists have beeii adopted in a 
large degree throughout the whole of the United States. 
It has moreover, exposed within its borders, a more 
complete and extensive series of formations below the 
Carboniferous and above the base of the Cambrian than 
any other State in the Union. It is therefore evident 
that a complete and representative colletion of the New 
York rocks is of no small importance and the descrip- 
tion of its formations is a matter of much interest." 

The following table gives in a descending order the 



58 SUMMARY OF 

position of the different chief formations or classes as 
they would be were all the rocks of the series found in 
any one place. The omission of[]any one of the forma- 
tions, or the absence of an entire system, at any given 
locality does not disturb the order for the remaining. 

vi. table of the rock formations. 

4. Cenozoic time. 

Present period or era. 

Champlain peroid. 

Glacial period. 

(Great ice-sheet covering northern United States ) 

Tertiary period. 

3. Mesozoic time. 

Cretaceous peroid. 
Jurassic period. 
Triassic period. 
2. Paleozoic time. 

Carboniferous period. 

( Formation of coal. ) 

Devonian period. 

Chemung formatio:i. 

Portage. 

Hamilton. 

Corniferous. 

(The last great liinestone formation in New York.) 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 69 

Onondaga. 

Oriskan}^ 

Silurian period. 

Lower Helderbnrg formation. 

Water lime. 

Niagara. 

Medina. 

Hudson river. 

Trenton. 

Calciferous. 

I. Archean Time. 

VII. SCHOHARIE COUNTY GEOLOGY. 

There probably is no County in this State more in- 
teresting in its geology. Savans come from Europe to 
study it, and carry back with them specimens gathered 
from the stone walls, the stone heaps in the fields, and 
from the more solid cliffs. 

The County lies in what is called the "Paleozoic 
Age," or Paleozoic time. Some of the rocks in the 
series are lacking or but poorly developed in this County, 
although found in places east or west of it. Many of 
the layers contain fossils. Some that in other localities 
have fossils are what are called "barren rocks" in this 
County, as they have but few if any well defined fossils 
in them. 



60 SUMMARY OF 

VIII. A GEOLOGICAL TRIP ACROSS THE COUNTY. 

If we were to take a Geological trip across the Coun- 
ty commencing on the northern border we would find 
the rocks in the northern part belotig to the Hudson 
River group of the Lower Silurian. Passing south- 
ward on our journe}^ we reach the Helderberg forma- 
tion of the Upper Silurian. The fossils consist chiefly 
of sea- weed, shells, corals, crinoids; orthoceras, and 
trilobites-the earliest forms of life in the Paleozicseas. 
No land plants or animals are found. As far as Science 
know\s the earth was then a silent world, no insect in 
the air, no animal moving on the ground, no vegeta- 
tion to beautify the scene, only the sea-weed beneath 
the water, the shell- fish crawling over ihe sands, the 
coral building its stony mansion in the warm shallow 
waters, the trilobite, the pteropod, and the oithocerati- 
tes floating about in the water. 

Continuing our journey southward we leave the 
Silurian period and enter the Devonian, passing over 
in our journey the Oriskany, Co:niterv)US, Hamilton, 
and Portage groups, finding at last near the southern 
boundary of the County some of the earlijst land plants 
that have ever been discovered. 

The line of demarkatiou between the formations is 
irregular, but its general direction is southeasterly in 
the Count3\ Owing to its irregularity places that are 






SCllOlIARiE COUNTY; ^l 

but a few miles apart may have very different rock 
formations, and in some places a person going from the 
foot to the top of a hill may pass over several forma- 
tions. One of the best illustrations of this latter fact 
is found in the hills around Schoharie village, where 
the formations range from the Hudson River slate to 
the Hamilton, and where the development has given a 
distinctive name to one of the formations. 

The following grouping of rocks and places will pro- 
ba1)ly give a good idea of what we may expect to find, 
although perfect accuracy is not attempted in the 
grouping. Ravines, hillsides, and scattered rocks may 
give to the searcher specimens from formations not 
tabulated for that locality, and in some instances there 
may be an error in the tabulation. For convenience in 
reference the places are given in alphabetical order. 

1. Hudson River and Lower Silurian: 

Argusville, Central Bridge, Esperance, Sloans- 
ville. The underlying rock in the river bed at 
Schoharie. 

2. Helderberg and Lower Devonian. 

Barnerville, Carlisle, Cobleskill, Gallupville, 
Gardnersville, Howe's Cave, Lawyersville, 
Schoharie, Sharon, Shutters Corners, Warner- 
ville. — Mineral Springs, East Cobleskill, and 
Seward are on the l)order of the Hamilton. 



^2 SUMMARY OF 

3. Hamilton and higher formations. 

Bates, Blenheim, Breakabeen, Broome Center, 
Charlotteville, Conesville, Eminence, Franklin- 
ton, Fulton, Gilboa, Huntersland, Jefferson, 
lyivingstonville, Manorkill, Mine Hill, Morris- 
ville, Middleburgh, Richmondville, Schoharie, 
Summit. 

IX. GLACIAL PHENOMENA. 

There is a group of geological phenomena which has 
not so far in this chapter been mentioned, and yet it 
has done much to change the surface appearance of the 
Count}^; form its valleys; round off the tops of the hills; 
produce the arable soil on the sides and tops of the 
hills; produce the deep, fertile soil of the river valleys; 
scatter over the ground large rounded or angular 
masses of rock unlike those found in the cliffs; and to 
furrow, scratch, or polish the solid ledges. These 
■phenomena were done by forces in action during the 
Cenozoic time. 

X. The Great Continental Glacier. 

During the glacial period of the Cenozoic the north- 
ern part of the Continent was covered by an immense 
glacier, the southern border of which reached to Long 
Island and extended in an irregular line eastward and 
westward . 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY; i^ 

The glaciation of North America was not due to d 
great polar ice-cap investing all the regions of high 
parallels of latitude. There were two great centers; 
The ice sheet which formed the drift of Canada and 
northeastern United States had its center in the high- 
lands which form the watershed between the St. Law- 
rence basin and Hudson Ba}', and is called the "Laur- 
entide Glacier. ' ' The other had one or more central 
points in the Rocky Mountains. The general laws 
respecting the accumulation of perpetual snow and its 
relation to climate and topography were the same then 
as now. 

The Laurentide Glacier was of immense thickness. 
The occurrence of boulders and other glacial phenom- 
ena on Mount Washington in New Hampshire prove 
that in that region the upper surface had an altitude of 
at least 6,000 feet, while thos3 in the Catskills in this 
State show that in this section it was at least 3,000 
feet. 

XI. KFFKCT OF THK GLACIER. 

The stones and earth transported by the glacier were 
gathered up mostly by its lower part from the surface 
of hills or ridges it pavSsed over. Soft rocks would be 
deeply plowed by it and the fragments ground to pow- 
der as it bore them away. The surface of the ledges 



64 STIMMARY OF 

passed over "would be scratched or furrowed by the 
rock fragments held fast on the underside of the gla- 
cier, and the lines of this striation would be nearly 
parallel. Where the material held bj^ the glacier is 
finer and of a sandy nature the rocks would be planed 
off, smoothed, and perhaps even polished. 

Rocks plowed from the ledges at Schoharie have 
been carried to Gilboa, and, in fact, as far south as 
New Jersey. Boulders from the Adirondacks have 
been brought across the Mohawk valley and scattered 
over our county. Everywhere we find the smaller 
rounded cobblestones. Where the ledges of solid rock 
have been recently uncovered, or wdiere they consist of 
rock so hard it resists the action of the weather good 
.specimens of smoothing and striating can be procured. 
In the solid limestone cliffs at Schoharie excellent 
specimens of the smoothing, striating, and poli.shing 
can be procured, and of any desired size, some of thes^ 
have all the poli.sh of a lapidary's art. 



CHAPTER IV. - ■ 

Historical. 

i. indian trails. 

There were six or seven Incliaii paths or trails 
through the County. 

1. The one that began on the Hudson at the mouth 
of the Catskill Creek, lollovved that stream up to its 
source or to where I^ivingstonville now is, then crossed 
over to Keyser's creek which it followed down to the 
Schoharie river, and thence to the Indian settlement 
at Middleburgh. A branch from this at the mouth of 
the West Kill in Blenheim passed up that stream to 
Summit I^ake, thence to the Charlotte Valley, and 
dowm that stream to the Susquehanna. A branch also 
at the mouth of the West Kill went to Lake 
Utsyantha and down the Delaware, or across to the 
Susquehanna. 

2. The one that began at Albany, led over the 
Helderberg, and thence down Fox's creek to Schoharie. 

3. The one that began at Sch-nectady, and passing 
through Duanesburgh, came into the Schoharie Valley 
a little north of Fox's creek. 

5 



66 feUMMARY OF 

4. The one that commenced at Schoharie, passed 
down the Schoharie River to Sloansville, and thence 
through Charleston to Fort Hunter on the Mohawk. 

5. The one that led from near the mouth of the Cob- 
leskill creek to Canajoharie and the German Flats on the 
Mohawk. 

6. The one that led from Middleburgh up the 
Schoharie River to the Kenhuragara creek and thence 
to Summit Lake, — or to the West Kill and thence to 
the lake, — and then crossed over to the Charlotte 
River, down which it passed to the Susquehanna, and 
thence to the Genesee Valley and Niagara. 

7. The one that led up the Cobleskill creek to its 
source and thence to Otsego Lake. A branch from 
this left where Richmondville now is, passed up Bear 
Gulf to Summit Lake, aiid joined the Charlotte and 
Susquehanna trail. 

II. usp: madk of the trails. 

It w^as along the second and third of these trails that 
the early German and Dutch settlers came. 

It was over the third the early settlers passed back 
and forth from the Schoharie Valley to Schenectady, 
carrying their grain from Schoharie to Schenectady to 
have it ground; making the trip either way in a day, 
or, if belated, camping by the path over night. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 67 

it was over the fourth that missionary Hawley in 
1753 entered the valley, passing by the stone heap at 
Sloansville. And it was over this route that Johnson 
and Brant passed out of the valley after their destruc- 
tive raid in 1780. 

It was over the fifth the Germans living in Scho- 
harie passed to visit their friends and relatives that had 
settled on the Mohawk. 

The sixth was the great war-route by which the 
tories and hostile Indians repeatedly entered the valley 
during the Revolution, coming from Niagara and the 
lake, and, returning, took their prisoners and booty 
back to Niagara. It was partly the object of Sullivan's 
expedition in 1779, by laying waste the Susquehanna 
and Genesee Valleys and destroying the Indian settle- 
ments found in them, to close more or less effectually 
this great route. 

III. INDIAN INHABITANCY. 

It is not known when the Indians w^ho were in the 
Schoharie Valley when the Whiteman came located 
there. There is undoubted evidence that the valley 
was occupied by them repeatedly for fishing and hunt- 
ing purposes long before they made a regular tribal 
settlement in it. 

Brown in his history says the first regular or perma- 



fe8 SUMMARY Of 

iient Indian settlement was made under the leadership 
of Ka-righ-on don-tae, a Canadian Chief who had been 
taken prisoner by the Mohawks. He married a Mo- 
hawk squaw, and his father-in-law gave him lands in 
the Schoharie Valley. Families from the Mohawk, 
Mohegan, Tuscarora, Delaware, and Oneida tribes 
joined him, so that it is said he had a tribe of about 
three hundred warriors gathered about him. Although 
in some repects it was a new and independent tribe, it 
held allegiance and was subordinate to the tribes in the 
Mohawk Valley. 

Sims in his history says the Mohegans settled not far 
from the Little Schoharie in Middleburgh and were 
living separate from the main body of the tribe. 

In addition to this Mohegan village the tribe had 
several other villages. 

One was on the west side of the river where Central 
Bridge now is; another nearly opposite on the east side 
of the river. One was farther up the river near where 
the Schoharie railroad depot now stands. This one 
they occupied for a long time after the two near Central 
Bridge were abandoned, and here they had a fruit 
orchard and a burial ground. 

The largest and most important village of the tribe, 
the one where Ka-righ-on don-tae and his chiefs lived 
was situated on what was afterw^ard known as 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 69 

"Vroman's land" — a tract of land in the Line kill 
Valley, on the west side of the Schoharie River, and 
within the limits of the present town of Fulton. Here 
on an angle of land formed by a bend in the river, and 
called by the Dutch "Wilder Hook" — signifying 
"Indian Corner" — they had their principal village, a 
burial ground, and a strong wooden structure called a 
"Castle." 

Their two principal settlements therefore were on 
Vroman's Land near Middleburgh and at Schoharie 
near where the present village is situated. At each of 
these they had more permanent structures, burial 
grounds, cornfields, and fruit orchards. Whether the}^ 
had a fort or "Castle" at Schoharie is uncertain. It is 
probable however the expression "the Castle at Scho- 
harie' ' meant the structure at Wilder Hook for the ex- 
pression "at Schoharie" sometimes meant the settle- 
ment at what is now called Schoharie, and sometimes 
included all the vSettlements in the valley and its near- 
by localities. If they had one at Schoharie it was 
similar in its construction to that at Wilder Hook. 

The term "Castle" as applied to structures built in 
the Indian settlements means simply a strong enclosure 
capable of being used as a fort or place of refuge in 
case of necessit}^ The one at W^ilder Hook was built 
by Sir William Johnson at the commencement of the 



70 SUMMARY OF 

French and Indian War. Was about one hundred feet 
square, built of wood, the timbers sunk endwise in 
the ground, and the touching sides of the timbers 
squared so as so stand close to each other. 

IV. THE FORT AT CENTRAL BRIDGE. 

In the strong enclosure or "fort" left by the Indians 
when they abandoned the settlement near Central 
Bridge was raised the first wheat in the County. Lam- 
bert Sternbergh, in the fall of 1713, brought on his 
back from Schenectady a skipple of wheat — about three 
pecks. It was sown on the ground within the aban- 
doned enclosure as there was but little grass there, the 
ground was rich, and the walls of the enclOvSure would 
protect it from deer and other destructive agents. In 
the spring and early summer it was carefully culti- 
vated, and when at harvest time it was threshed it was 
found the one skipple had yielded eighty-three. The 
other settlers in the valley procured seed from Stern- 
bergh, and it was not long before there were waving 
fields of grain in addition to the well known Indian 
corn. 

V. SETTLEMENT BY THE WHITES. 

From what records and historical data we can find it 
appears that three classes of settlers came to the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 71 

County and subsequently formed its towns. They 
were the Germans, the Dutch, and immigrants from 
New England. 

The German and Dutch came over the Albany and 
Schenectady routes, settled the Schoharie valley in its 
northern and middle parts and gradually extended up 
the Cobleskill Creek and its branches to Richmond- 
ville, Sharon, and Seward. The chief part of the New 
England immigrants probably came over the trail from 
Catskill as they settled mostly in the southern part of 
the County and kept along the plateau to Jefferson and 
Summit. 

The German and Dutch came first. A few New 
England settlers came before the Revolution, but the 
great inflow from New England came from Connecti- 
cut after the Revolution. 

Taking thi.? view of the early settlement we devote a 
part of this chapter to the history of the Palatines. 
Not however, entering upon their early history, strug- 
gles, and migration from the Palatinate on the banks 
of the Rhine in Germany, although the incidents are 
connected with what are known in American histories 
as the wars of King William and Queen Anne. Nor 
have we the space to give the story of their migration 
from Holland to England and thence to this country, — 
the wrongs .the^^ suffered, the frauds and oppression 



72 SUMMARY OF 

they endured. Those who wish to learn their almost 
tragic history are referred to Ccbb's ''Story of the Pal- 
atines," one of the most interesting and reliable 
authorities upon the subject. 

VI. THE PALATINES IN NEW YORK. 

1. Arrival. The Palatines arrived in New York 
in June and July, 1710, and were located for a time by 
the Governor and those in authority on the east and 
the west sides of the Hudson. Three settlements were 
made on the eastern side of the river, within the do- 
main of the Patroon I^ivingston, and two on the west 
side of the river wiihin what is now the town of Saug- 
erties. From their position on nearly opposite sides of 
the river these settlements were called by the Palatines 
the East and West Camps. 

The reason the authorities located them on the Hud- 
son was to have them employed in the manufacture of 
"Naval Stores," as pitch, tar, and turpentine were 
called. It was a costly experiment by the government 
and doomed to failure. Several political and financial 
reasons can be given for its failure; but if these could 
have been overcome the undertaking still must have 
failed from the botanical fact our northern pine is not 
a tree rich in resinous products. 

2. Dispersion. In September, 1712, Governor 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 73 

Hunter wrote to Mr. John Cast — the Commissioner 
having the Palatines in charge — stating to him that 
both the treasurer and the credit were exhausted, and 
advising him to call the people together, state to them 
the facts, and inform them they must shift for them- 
selves; as man> as could find support on the manor to 
remain there, the rest to seek employment among the 
farmers living within the provinces of New Yoik and 
New Jersey. 

The Palatines in both camps received the order as a 
proclamation of freedom. Although there is noreco-d 
to prove it, their movements seem to show that a coun- 
cil was called and concerted action decided upon. A 
little les^ than one-third of their number were to re- 
main on the Livingston Manor and make for them- 
selves a permanent home there. A few miles south of 
the Livingston Manor were lands covered by a grant 
or patent to Henry Beekman. Receiving from him 
more favorable terms than were given on the Living- 
ston Manor thirty families moved upon his land, and, 
mingling their gratitude to him with fond memories of 
their early home beyond the sea, they gave the name 
of "Rhinebeck" to the settlement. 

A committee or deputation of their principal men 
was sent to the Schoharie valley to examine the land 
and to deal with the Indians there if they found the re- 



74 SUMMARY OF 

gion desirable for a settlement, and also to find the 
best route for the people to take when they came. The 
deputation proceeded on their mission b}' way of Al- 
bany, and procuring an Indian guide there were led 
over the Helderberg and down Fox's Creek to its junc- 
tion with the Schoharie. 

Entering the valley in the early fall, a beautiful 
scene lay before them. The hills, where they stood on 
the eastern side of the valley, sloped gently downwards 
to the broad, rich flats through which a stream wound 
its way to the north. On the opposite side of the 
vStream the hills rose more abruptly, and in one place 
formed a genuine cliff. It seemed the haven of their 
hopes. The Indians treated them kindly and readily 
gave them permission to form a settlement there. 

On their return to Livingston Manor the deputies 
made a favorable report, and it was determined the 
migration should be made in two companies. The 

first, consisting of fifty families, started as soon as pos- 
sible after the return of the deputies, arrived later in 
the season, and spent the winter in the valley. Of 

their hardships and privations during that first winter 
we know but little save that the Indians were kind to 
them and gave to them freely of their own scanty store 
of corn and supplies. In March, 1713, the second 

company started from the Manor, travelled over the 
same route, and joined those that had wintered in the 
valley. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 



75 



VII. THE PALATIXES IN SCHOHARIE. 

I, The Palatines were now in the valley where they 
hoped to live quiet, honest, and industrious lives; and 
gathering around their chief men built seven small 
villages or dorfs. Brown in his history says, ' 'Dorf or 
dorp means a small, compact village; flejken, a larger 
village; and stadt, a city." 





X 


Kneiskern's Dorf. 




X 


Oarlock's Dorf. 




X 


Fox's Dorf. 




Fox 


s Creek. 


s 


X 


Smith's Dorf. 


(L> 
O 


X 


Brunnen Dorf. 




Stony Brook. 




X 


Hartman's Dorf. 




X 


Weiser's Dorf. 




Little Schoharie. 



76 SUMMARY OF 

The most southerly settlement called "Weiser's 
dorf ' ' was at the L<ittle Schoharie in Middleburgh and 
contained about forty dwellings. The next, about two 
miles further north, between the present villager of 
Middleburgh and Schoharie was called "Hartman's 
dorf," the given name of Hartman Winedecker, their 
principal man. The third was where the village of 
Schoharie is, and was called "Brunnen dorf," or Foun- 
tain village — from the large spring of pure, cold water 
issuing from the rocks a short distance from the pres- 
ent court house. The fourth was about midway be- 
tween this and Fox's Creek, and was called "Smith's 
dorf." The fifth was called "Fox's dorf" and was 
situated on the stream still called Fox's Creek. The 
sixth was about two miles further noith, on the east 
side of the river, and was called "Garlock's dorf." 
The seventh, or mo^t northerly settlement, was near 
the mouth of the Cobleskill Creek, and was called 
"Kneiskern's dorf." Thus on the flats lying on the 
east side of the river they formed their seven little vil- 
lages, bounded on the south by the Little Schoharie 
and on the north by the Cobleskill Creek. 

2. But their troubles and persecutions were not yet 
done. One Nicholas Bayard had about twenty-five 
years before obtained "for a consideration" from the 
notoriously corrupt Governor Fletcher the grant for an 



BCHOHARIE COUNTY. ^^ 

immense extent of territory in part of which lay the 
valley where the Palatines now were. This grant was 
annulled in 1698 by a legislativ^e act that was approved 
by the Queen. He tlius lost his great estate long be- 
fore the Palatines came, and it was never restored to 
him nor to his son. Yet he came to the Palatines and 
falsely claiming to be the agent of the Queen and of 
the government that had annulled his grant, sought to 
have them obtain from him titles to the lands on 
which they had settled. 

3. Other persecutions followed, and the Palatines, 
growing tired of the ceaseless contention, resolved on 
one more dispersion. In 1722 and 1723 Garlock, one 
of their leading men and from whom a dorf in the val- 
ley had been named, moved into the Mohawk valley 
and about one- third of the eight hundred settlers went 
with him. Weiser and Hartman Winedecker — leaders 
from whom dorfs had been named, accompanied by a- 
bout one-third more of the settlers went to Pennsyl- 
vania, where they were kindly received, and found a 
quiet resting place. The remaining Palatines — nearly 
one-third — tired of migrating resolved to remain in the 
valley and make the best terms possible with those 
claiming the land. Thus after ten or twelve years of 
troubled experience together in the valley, their num- 
bers were reduced and the fires went out on many a 



^8 SUMMARY OF 


• 


broad heartli to be rekindled later on 
hands. 


by stranger 


VIII. EARLY INCIDENTS. 





When the Palatines arrived in Albany on their way 
from the Livingston Manor to the Schoharie valley, 
their appearance and scanty supplies aroused the sym- 
pathy of all that saw them, and much was done to re- 
lieve their distress and to help them on their way. 

As they made the long journey on foot, carrying 
everything in packs on their shoulders, their outfit was 
of necessity meager for household comfort or farm 
work. In their earliest homes in the valley, blocks cut 
from the trees that fell before their axes served for 
tables and chairs. A few pewter plates and mugs 
brought in their packs, and a small iron kettle formed 
their table and kitchen ware. Their knives and forks 
were the hunting knife and a split stick. They slept 
on the floor or built bedsteads by driving poles into 
the walls of their houses. They had no glass; the 
opening in the wall that answered for a window was 
closed at night or in stormy weather by a wooden shut- 
ter split from a log and swinging on wooden hinges, 
and at other times closed by a strip of cloth or pieces 
of carefully greased paper that let in a subdued light 
when there was no fire on the hearth. Their shoes 



SCttOHAKIE COUNTY. T& 

were procured in Schenectady or Albany when they 
made a trip to either place, and one pair was expected 
to last its possessor at least a year. Needed repairs 

were made by a travelling cobbler, who went from 
house to house, carrying on his shoulders the imple- 
ments of his trade and the needed leather and supplies. 

They had no cattle or horses. Instead of plowing 
they cultivated the fields with the broad heavy hoe. 

Their rakes were home made, their pitchforks a split 
stick or the carefully selected crotch of a small tree. 
Their seed was obtained from the Indians or brought 
from Albany or Schenectady. They got then' seed for 
corn, beans, and pumpkins from the Indians, and we 
have already told how they got their wheat. There 
were but few mechanics among th.em, and what home 
ingenuity could not supply had to be procured from 
Alban}^ or Schenectady. The same with repairs. 
The first blacksmith put up his bellows and anvil in the 
little settlement at Fox's creek. On a tributary of the 
same stream Simeon Lara way l)uilt the first grist mill. 
A few yeors later Cobel is said to have erected one 
near the mouth of the stream that still bears his name. 

They misread the pages of history who say the Pala- 
tines and early settlers of the valley were ignorant, for 
poor and hampered as they were they had scarely ob- 
tained a foothold in the valley before schools were be- 



80 SUMMARY OP 

gun. Beyond the simple record of this fact we have 
but little data for several years. As Middleburgh was 
settled by both German and Dutch immigrants both 
languages were taught, at Schoharie the German. 
A few years later English was added in both places. 

IX. THE INDIANS JOIN THE BRITISH 

In the early settlement of Sihoharie Valley, and 
through what is called in onr histories the 'French 
and Indian war" — from 1754 to 1760, and for some- 
time after that friendly relations existed between the 
indians living within what is now called Schoharie 
Count}^ and the white settlers. But as the crisis be- 
tween the Colonies and England drew nearer it was 
seen with sorrow and felt with some alarm that the 
Indians as a whole were drifting away from the Whites; 
and when at last hostilities began between the Colonies 
and England the final separation was made with terrific 
results. 

The greater part of the Whites in the valley and 
its outlying settlements were on the American side but 
almost all of the Indians espoused the British side. 
Several reasons contributed to the adoption by the 
indians of the British side. 

I. The Indians saw the Whites were increasing in 
number; the settlements increasing in number, 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 81 

size, and strength; the forests being cut down; 
the game killed or driven off. These things naturally 
and inevitably awoke feelings of opposition. One or 
the other must leave or must undergo a complete 
change in their manner of living. The Indian felt he 
had a prior claim to the forests and the game, and felt 
little inclination to adopt English habits. 

2. Their relationship to the tribes in the Mohawk 
Valley. These were joining the British. The red 
cross of England was having more adherents from 
Albany to Niagara than the cause of the struggling 
Colonists, It was natural therefore the}^ would go 
with their relatives — the Five Nations of the Mohawk 
Valley to the British side. 

3. The influence of various families and persons. 
Sir William Johnson had been their friend. He had 
built for them a fort at Wilder Hook, and had shown 
them a great many favors. He was dead; but his sons 
were on the British side, not one of his family favored 
the colonists. 

Brant, the half-breed Mohawk Chief, brother of 
Molly Brant, the Indian wife of Sir William was on 
the British side. Brant possessed the ideal form for 
an Indian chief ; he was tall, spare, lithe, and quick; 
had a keen, bright eye; and a commanding appearance. 
He was educated, for he had been sent by Sir William 

6 



§2 SUMMARY OF 

to the best schools in Connecticut. He had been flat- 
tered at the British headquarters in Montreal; had been 
to England, and lionized at London. In their Indian 
councils he stood pre-eminent for his sagacity, was fear- 
less and dashing. He was on the British side, and 
was exerting himself to bind together the different 
tribes and clans in opposition to the colonists. The 
infamous Colonel John Butler, and his still more in- 
famous son Walter were engaged in collecting or en- 
rolling the white tories of the Mohawk and Schoharie 
Valleys, and using every means in their power to in- 
duce the Indians to join them. 

4. Booty. The Indians were told, and believed that 
the English would conquer for they saw the British 
soldiers were better uniformed, better equipped, better 
drilled, and presented a more soldierly appearance in 
camp and on the march than the ragged and non uni- 
formed and poorly drilled soldiers of the Continental 
forces. Booty was promised to the Indians, and was 
actually given to them after every succCvSsful raid. 

Scalps — those glorious trophies of an indian warrior, 
were paid for. This has been denied; but there is in- 
disputable testimony and proof it was done. The 
Americans neither promised nor gave booty, and paid 
for no scalps. 

5. Superstition. A violent and contageous disease 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 83 

broke out. The indians were swept off at a fearful 
rate — the warrior, squaw, and pappoose alike —while 
not a whiteman fell victim to it. Their prophets and 
the English emissaries told them the Great Spirit was 
offended because they did not more readily join the 
British cause and had sent the disease to punish them. 

Here then were five things tliit powerfully influenc- 
ed them: Jealousy at the whiteman' s increase. Re- 
lationship to the hostile tribes. Influence exerted by 
families and persons. Promise of booty. Superstition. 
It is no wonder that all but a few went over to the 
British side. 

All was now uncertainty. The war cloud hung low 
and ominous. Fear, gloom, darkness settled upon the 
Mohawk and Schoharie Valleys and the settlements 
branching out from them. To these frontier settle- 
ments it was the night of history. 

X. PREPARATION FOR TROUBLE. 

T. Committee OF Safety. A "Council of Safe- 
ty" for Schoharie Valley and the neighboring settle- 
ments was formed, consisting of six members. Johan- 
nes Ball, residing about one half mile north of what 
afterward became the "Lower Fort" was chosen chair- 
man and remained such until the close of the war. Two 
of his sons, Peter and Mattice, sided with their father, 



t,< 



U SUMMARY OF 

did good work for the colonists, and were frequently 
sent out on hazardous undertakings. Colonel Peter 
Vroman, residing at Middleburgh, did most of the 
writing for the Council. He was Captain in the 
French and Indian war, Major before the Revolution, 
and became Colonel on the organization of a regiment 
for the Schoharie settlement. He was a prudent but a 
bold and determined man as his conduct at the Middle 
Fort during Johnson's raid in 1780 demonstrated. Re- 
wards were offered for the capture or death of Chair- 
man Ball and Colonel Vroman, and unsuccessful efforts 
were made to take or kill them. 

It would be interesting to follow historically the 
work of this Local Committee of Safety; its correspon- 
dence with the General Council; its truthful representa- 
tions of the dismal condition of the settlers in the 
County: its earnest pleadings for help; and its final 
success in getting detachments of troops sent for the 
defence of harassed settlers; but we have not the space 
for even an abbreviated presentation. 

2. Arming of thk Citizp^ns, Prior to the or- 
ganization by the General Council of a Regiment for 
Schoharie Valley and surrounding settlements some of 
the patriotic men of the Valley went to Albany and 
enlisted. These w^ere placed under General Schuyler 
in the Northern armv and did valiant service. At the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 85 

organization of the regiment Peter Vroman was made 
Colonel; Peter W. Zielie, Lieutenant Colonel; George 
Mann, Captain of the ist. Company; Jacob Hagar, Cap- 
tain of the 2nd. Company; and George Richtmyer, Cap- 
tain of the 3rd. Company. To the regiment was after- 
ward added a Company organized at Cobleskill with 
Christian Brown, Captain; and Jacob Borst, Lieutenant. 

In June 1777 Congress resolved to establish a corps 
of persons exempt from military service by reason of 
age or former service, who should do duty at military 
posts and perform such other service as might be 
needed as home defenders. In accordance with this 
act a company of such residing in the vicinity of the 
"Upper Fort" was organized under the name of "As- 
sociated Exempts" with Tunis Vroman — who had ser- 
ved in the French and Indian war — as Captain, and 
and Peter Snyder and Martin us Vroman as Lieuten- 
ants. 

3. Division Into Districts. The Schoharie 
Valley Council of Safety adopted July 7th, 1777, two 
important ordinances for the protection of the settlers. 

I. The First, respecting attendance at church, di- 
vided the Valley as for south as Breakabeen into three 
districts. The northern district embraced the churches 
at Schoharie and Fox's creek. The next one the 
•church at Middleburgh. The most southerly one those 



86 SUMMARY OF 

that came "to any meeting that may be held at Break- 
abeen. ' ' 

By the ordinance "all persons between the age of i6 
and 50 were to a bring arms and accoutrements when 
they came to church." 

Any person failing to comply with the ordinance sub- 
jected himself to a fine of three shillings, to be collected 
by a warrent given by Chairman Ball to any sergeant 
or corporal directing him to levy the same on the of- 
fender's goods or chattels. 

2. The Second — divided the Valley into four dis- 
tricts in which "watches are to be kept every night 
from this time constant, ' ' and every person neglecting 
to serve on such watch was to pay a fine of twelve 
shillings, to be collected as given for the first. 

The first watch was to be kept at the dwelling house 
of Capt. George Mann, and consisted of eight men. 
The second watch at the dwelling house of Hendrick 
Becker and consisted of six men, under the command of 
Capt. George Richtmyer. The third watch at the 
dwelling house of Johannes Feeck (this afterw^ard be- 
came the "Upper Fort," ) and consisted of six men 
under the command of Lieut. Martinus Van Slyck. 
The fourth watch at the dwelling house of Hendrick 
Hagar, and consisted of six men under the command 
of Capt. Jacob Hagar. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 87 

XI. FORTS IN SCHOHARIE VALLEY. 

There were three forts, or fortified structures used 
as forts, in the Schoharie Valley during the Revolu- 
tion. Each was supplied with two cannon, and was 
garrisoned by a small body of home-defenders, or, at 
times by a detachment of the colonial forces. 

The signals of danger were given by one or more 
discharges of the larger cannon. 

One discharge — gave warning of impending danger. 

Two discharges— that it was hazardous to attempt 
approaching the fort. 

Three discharges — that they could not reach the fort 
without encountering the enemy. 

The forts were called from their positions "The Up- 
per," "The Middle," and "The Lower" fort. 

1. The "Upper Fort" was situated on the west 
side of the Schoharie River, at the upper end of Vro- 
man's land, in the present town of Fulton, about four 
miles from the present village of Middlebingh and near 
the present village of Fultonham. It was built upon 
the farm then owned b\^ Johannes Feeck. Time and 
the plow have completely obliteratel all trace of it. 

2. The "Middle Fort" was built first and was 
considered "Headquarters," as the officer having 
charge of the militar3^ forces in the valley had his resi- 



88 SUMMARY OF 

dence there. It was situated on the flats a little north 
of the present village of Middleburgh. Little of it has 
withstood the ravages of time, and that little is fast 
passing to decay. 

3. The "Lower Fort" was at Schoharie, on the 
southern side of Fox's Creek, about a mile from the 
present court house, and the main structure still re- 
mains. It is now used as the Museum of the County 
Historical Society. 

XII. DESCRIPTION OF THE FORTS. 

The following description of the three forts is taken 
principally from Sim's History, with such alterations 
as other reliable authorities have given. 

I. The Upper Fort. A fairly sized plot of 
ground was enclosed. One side of the enclosure was 
picketed. On the other three sides a breastwork of 
earth and timbers was thrown up some eight or ten feet 
high, with pickets set in the outer timbers. A peculi- 
arity of the fort was that a ditch surrounded the parts 
so constructed. This probably arose from the fact that 
the dirt was taken from the ditch to make the walls. 
Barracks and small huts were erected within the en- 
closure to accommodate the soldiers and citizens. Pro- 
jecting block houses were built in the northwest and 
southeast corners, each mounting a cannon, thus 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 89 

guarding the sides of the structure. 

Sims says: "From its construction this fortress pro- 
bably better merited the name 'Fort' than either of the 
others." We cannot see why except from the idea 
that a ditch or moat must surround a fort; and yet from 
his description of the structure the ditch seems to have 
been on only three sides of it. Except for the ditch 
the structure did not differ materially from the other 
two. 

2. The Middle P'ort. This enclosed an area of 
ground larger than either of the other forts. It had 
projecting block houses on the northeast and south- 
west corners where cannon were mounted, thus pro- 
tecting the sides. The entrance was on the south side, 
and on each side of the gate were barracks for the 
soldiers. The pickets were about a foot through and 
ten feet high, with loop holes from which to fire on in- 
vaders. Along the eastern and western sides were ar- 
ranged huts for the citizens, and were similar in con- 
struction to those erected in the Lower Fort. Within 
the enclosure was the stone building owned and occu- 
pied by Johannes Becker. Nothing is now left of the 
old fort save a part of this stone building. 

3. The Lower Fort. This was situated about 
six miles north of the Middle Fort, and was begun and 
completed about the same time as the Upper Fort. 



90 



SUMMARY OF 




SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 91 

Both of these were built by the joint labor of the citi- 
zens and the soldiers; the citizens drawing suitable tim- 
ber and material, and with the aid of the soldiers giving 
them their proper shape and placing them in position. 
Tlie fort consisted of an enclosure by strong pickets of 
the ground embracing the stone church still standing, 
and the point of land around it wdiose sides slope rap- 
idly to the flat bounded by the Schoharie River on one 
side, and to Fox's Creek on the other. It was an ad- 
mirably chosen position for defence as two sides were 
practically unapproachable. It had blockhouses in the 
southwest and northeast corners mounting cannon. 
Along the west side of the enclosure small huts were 
erected with the roof sloping from near^the top of the 
pickets toward the center of the yard. Soldiers could 
use the roof as a platform on which to stand in an en- 
gagement. 

4. Blockhouses. While Colonel Duboise was in 
command of the American forces in Schoharie valley 
in 1778 and 1779 several blockhouses were erected for 
the better protection of the citizens. One was built at 
Hartman's Dorf, about midway between the Middle 
and the Lower Fort; one at Kneiskern's Dorf, near the 
mouth of the Cobleskill Creek; and one near the pres- 
ent village of Cobleskill. The one at Cobleskill seems 
to have been larger, stronger, and more commodious 



92 SUMMARY OF 

than the others, and was called "Fort Duboise. " It 
was situated about half a mile east of the present vil- 
lage of Cobleskill; was surrounded by a moat or ditch 
which was filled with water from a brook near by; had 
its gate or entrance on the eastern side, and embraced 
within its picketed inclosure the dwelling house of 
Jacob Shafer. 

XIII. THK FORTS AS STRATEGICAL POINTS. 

It has been asked, "Why was the fort at Middle- 
burgh considered of more importance than the one at 
Schoharie?" 

Viewed from the situation to-day, the multiplicity 
and location of the villages, the means of intercom- 
municatimi and the outlet for travel and produce, the 
answer may seem difficult. Viewed from the situation 
at the time of the Revolution the aspect is changed, 
and the answer quite ea.sy. Viewed from a military 
point at the time of the Revolution, Middleburgh had 
strategically a decided advantage. 

Imagine a rectangle having its northern side nearly 
parallel with the Mohawk and its eastern side with the 
Hudson, and having within its limits the Schoharie 
valley and its nearby settlements. On the northeast 
was Albany with the Hudson for a distance below it. 
A little to the west of Albany was Schenectady and the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 03 

lower Mohawk. Both of these place.s Were American 
or under American influence. The northea.stern part 
of the rectangle therefore by rea.son of its surround- 
ings, the number of its inhabitants, and its intercom- 
munication might be considered relatively safe. 

South of the rectangle was New York and the lower 
Hudson, which, if not actually in British possession 
was largely under its influence. A trail in the south- 
ern part of the rectangle led from the mouth of the 
Catskiil on the Hudson to Middleburgh. A branch of 
this trail, diverging at or near lyivingstonville, led to 
Jefferson, Lake Uts^-antha, Harpersfield, and the head 
waters of the Delaware. A branch of the trail when 
it reached the Schoharie River at the mouth of the 
Westkill, passed up the Westkill to Summit Lake and 
the Charlotte River. Thus through the southern part 
was a direct trail connecting the Hudson with the Sus- 
quehanna. It is thus seen that the British, tories and 
indians coming from their direct communication with 
the Hudson, or coming from Niagara up the Susque- 
hanna — that favorite route of tories and indians — had 
easy access to the southern part of the County, and 
could strike the settlers on the southeast, the south, 
and the southwest. 

Military strategy therefore demanded that the most 
souther! v of the available settlements in the Valley 



94 SUMMARY OF 

should be taken as the place to which scouts should 
run on detecting danger, and from which orders should 
be sent. For this reason the fortification at Middle- 
burgh was the largest, was the earliest begun, and was 
used as "Headquarters." 

The defences at Fultonham and Schoharie were com- 
menced and finished a little later. The one at Fulton- 
ham guarded a possible entrance on the southwest from 
Summit Lake. The one at Schoharie guarded the 
routes that led to Albany, to Schenectady, and to the 
settlements on the Cobleskill creek. 



CHAPTER V. 
Raids During The Revolution. 

The condition of the count}^ and each of its settle- 
ments was truly dismil during- the Revolution owing 
to its position, the acknowledged loyalty of the settlers 
to the American cause, the defection of the Indians, 
the presence of tories, and the fact that some who had 
left had become leaders of tory bands more cruel and 
heartless than the indians in their treatment of former 
neighbors, friends, and even relatives. 

Raids within its borders were frequent. Sometimes 
there were but few in the invading party, and some- 
times the}' came in overwhelming numbers. But 
whether they were few or many, ruin, devastation, and 
death marked where they had been. Sometimes it was 
the farm house of an isolated settler- that was burned 
and its inmates murdered and scalped. At other times 
it was a more important settlement that gave fuel to the 
fire and victims to the tomahawk. No place was se- 
cure; day and night alike they were exposed to the 
torch, the tomahawk, and the scalping knife. The 
history of nearly every town that had inhabitants be- 



m • .NUMMARY OF 

fore the Revolution could almost be written in the 
blood of its murdered citizens. 

It is useless attempting to give an account of eacli 
of the invasions; only a few will be mentioned as 
samples of the man3\ In the following summary the 
raids are given according to the year in which it occur- 
ed, beginning with McDonald's, which, if it did not 
cause the construction of the three forts in the Valley, 
at least hastened their completion and armament. 

I. KAIDS IN 1777. 

I. McDonald's Raid. In August 1777 Captain 
McDonald — a Scotchman, who before the Revolution 
had lived on the Charlotte River, but now was a tory 
leader and held the rank of Captain in Johnson's 
"Royal Greens" — was making his way with a body 
of 150 tories and indinns from the upper, or southern, 
part of the Schoharie Valley down through the settle- 
ments, devastating everything in his path, and intend- 
ing to meet at Albany Burgoyne coming from Lake 
Champlain, St. Leger coming down the Mohawk, 
and Clinton who was to come up the Hudson from 
New York. With him was Lieutenant Adam Crysler, 
a tory from Vroman's land. 

They reached Schoharie River at Breakabeen Sunday 
August loth. Information of their coming was con- 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 9? 

veyed to the settlement at Middleburgh, about nine 
miles distant, by Henry Hager — a man then over 70 
years old, an ardent patriot, and whose sons were all in 
the American service. 

The fort at Middleburgh was not yet built. A small 
party of home militia w^ere at the stone dwelling house 
of Johannes Becker. Deeming their number too small 
to resist successfully without assistance, yet determin- 
ed to do all they could, they at once began to barricade 
the doors and windows, and sent to Albany for im- 
mediate help. Not an hour was to ba lost as McDon- 
ald's forces might come at any time. 

Colonel John Harper, who arrived Monday after- 
noon to consult with Colonel Vroman — the secretary 
of the local council of safety, started at once for Al- 
bany. A small body of about 28 cavalry under com- 
mand of Capt. James Degolier, a Frenchman, was 
granted to him. The party, conducted by Col. Har- 
per left Alban}^ Tuesday evening, and, riding a good 
part of the night, arrived at Schoharie early Wednes- 
day morning. 

At the brick tavern standing north of Fox's creek at 
the fork of the roads leading to Albany and to Schen- 
ectady they arrested David Ogeonda, a notorious In- 
dian, who had just come to the tavern from McDon- 
ald with the expectation of meeting a band of tories 

7 



^8 SUMMARY 0^ 

there. Ogeonda a short time before had attempted 
to take the life of Chairman Ball of the Committee of 
Safety, and he also had followed for some distance Col. 
Harper on his late trip to Albany for help. Together 
with Ogeonda they arrested a few of the most active 
tories found at the tavern, and started with their pris- 
oners for Middleburgh. When near Hartman's dorf 
the indian broke awa}^ from his captors and was shot 
as he ran toward the river. 

Arriving at Becker's house in Middleburgh the ca- 
valry was heartily received by the little band of an- 
xious waiters; the prisoners were placed in confine- 
ment, the horses rested, and the men refreshed. After 
resting a few hours it was thought best to go and meet 
McDonald's party, which was reported to be approach- 
ing the settlement and but a few miles distant. 

They found McDonald's party drawn up in front 
of lyieut. Crysler's house, which w^as situated on a knoll 
at the upper end of Vroman's land. A few shots were 
exchanged, when the bugler oi Degolier's cavalry 
sounded the charge, and with a shout the troops dash- 
ed among the tories and Indians. A panic among 
them ensued and McDonald's forces fled up the river. 

They were pursued only a short distance as it was 
nearly dark, the ground was unfavorable for cavalry, 
both men and horses were tired from their long ride 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 90 

from Albati}', and there was great danger of their 
being ambushed. 

What the losses were for McDonald's party is un- 
known. The American loss was three, Lieut. Wirt of 
the cavalr}^ killed, and two privates wounded, one of 
them mortally. After the engagement McDonald's 
party retreated up the river, through Breakabeen, over 
to the Susquehanna, and thence on the way to Niagara. 
McDonald himself was killed shortly after in the en- 
gagement at Oriskany. 

Bffkct of the Engagkmknt. Disastrous as 
was McDonald's raid it was of some service to these 
frontier settlements. 

1. The people were more united, and the division 
line between those loyal to the American cause and 
those sympathizing with the British was more clearly 
and more definitely drawn. 

2. It enabled the State and the AToanj^ ''Committee 
of Safety" to more correctly under>taad the exposed 
condition of the settlers. 

3. It led to more vigorous action in the construction 
and the armament of what afterward were known as 
the "Upper," the "Middle," and the "Lower" forts. 
Previous to the raid there were no forts or fortified 
structures in the valley, although there were some 
strongly built dwelling houses in which those neaiby 



ot 



m Nummary op 

could gather for mutual protection and defence. 

4. It led to the detailment and stationing in the 
valley of small bodies of troops belonging to the regular 
Continental army; thereby encouraging the patriots; 
restraining the uncertain; and causing the tory element 
to realize it was more than a scattered population they 
were combatting. 

5. It cleared the valley of some that were a danger- 
ous element, as about twenty or more active tories 
went off with McDonald. 

1 1. RAIDS IN 1778. 

T. Battxk AT COBLHSK11.L. The first appearance 
of the enemy in the Schoharie settlements in 1778 was 
at Cobleskill. The settlers there as we have already 
shown, had sometime before organized a compau}- for 
their home defence and made Christian Brown, Cap- 
tain. In the latter part of May several hostile indians 
were seen, and Captain Brown thought it prudent to 
send to the fort at Middleburgh for assistance. In 
reply Captain Patrick — an officer in the Continental 
service, was dispatched with about 30 men, and arriv- 
ed at the 26th of May. On the 29th, a scouting party 
of the American forces encountered an Indian scouting 
party, shots were exchanged and one Indian was killed. 

On the next d-ay, Saturday, May the 30tli, the force 



SCEIOHARIE COUNTY. 101 

of Captain Patrick and Brown, numbering less than 50 
men, while marching along the creek met the whole 
force of the enemy commanded by Brant and number- 
ing more than 350 tories and indians belonging to the 
Seneca, vSchoharie, and Oquago tribes. A sharp en- 
gagement followed, each party fighting under cover of 
the trees. Captain Patrick was shot, and two of his 
soldiers met a like fate while endeavoring to remove 
him from the field. Captain Brown now ordered a re- 
treat, and it was most timely, for had he delayed a few 
moments the little band of patriots would have been 
completely surrounded and but few would have sur- 
vived. As it was, more than one hair of the American 
force was killed or wounded. 

The American loss was 22 killed, 6 wounded, and 2 
taken prisoners. The full loss of the enemy is not 
positively known; but they buried 25 of their dead, 
and 7 of their number are known to liave died on their 
Avay back to Canada. After the engai^ement the in- 
dians burned 10 dwellings and as many barns, making 
* '20 buildings burned." As soon as they heard the 
firing in the engagement the families in the settlement 
started in flight to the woo Is and through them to 
Schoharie, 10 miles away. 

2. Act of Heroism. Connected with this en- 
gageLiient at ppbleskill an act of self-sacrificing heroism 



102 SUMMARY OF 

occurred that deserves to be recorded and kept in mem- 
ory. 

Five men — 3 of them Capt. Patrick's Continentals, 
and two of them Capt. Brown's men — gave their lives 
in behalf of the fugitives. Taking refuge in a house on 
the way they opened fire on the pursuing Indians. The in- 
dians stopped to dislodge them. Failing to drive them out 
of the building, the indians at length set it on fire. 
Three men were killed in the burning building; two 
attempted to escape, one of these was shot, the other 
taken prisoner, and his body when found showed he 
had been killed in the most barbarous manner. 

III. TROOPS SKNT TO SCHOHARIE. 

Shortly after the battle of Monmouth, which occurred 
June 28th, Washington sent to Schoharie the 4th 
Pennsylvania Regiment, commanded by Colonel Wil- 
liam Butler, and four Companies of Morgan's corps of 
sharp shooters. One of the companies of Morgan's 
riflemen was Commanded by Lieutenant Thomas Boyd, 
and to it belonged Timothy Murphy and David Eler- 
son — two men that figured largely in the subsequent 
history of Schoharie Valley, and who are buried in its 
historic soil, Murphy in the Middleburgh cemetery, 
and Elerson a short distance from Mackays Corners in 
Gilboa. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 103 

The next year — 1779 — Col. Butler and the chief 
part of the forces that had been sent to vSchoharie were 
ordered to join General Sullivan in his expedition 
through the Genesee Valley. And while on a scout 
vShortl> after the battle at Elmira Lieut. Boj^d and 24 
of his men were surrounded by 800 indians. In the 
engagement that followed 17 of his men were killed, 6 
escaped, while Lieut. Boyd and Sergeant Parker were 
taken prisoners and murdered with the most horrible 
tortures imaginable. Among the six who succeeded 
in escaping were Murph}^ and Elerson. 

In the Fall of 1778 Colonel Lewis Duboise with the 
5th Regiment of the New York State troops went into 
winter quarters at Schoharie. In the following year — 
1779 — Col. Duboise and the greater part of his regi- 
ment were added to the force of General Sullivan. 

Throughout the war the forces at the ''Middle Fort" 
— Middleburgh — were under the command of Colonel 
Peter Vroman when there was not an Officer of the 
Continental army having an equal or higher rank 
stationed there. 

IV. RAIDS IN 1779. 

I find no well authenticated raids into the valley or 
its surrounding settlements in 1779. During that year 
the tories and indians were too much occupied in their 



104 SUMMARY OF 

endeavors to meet Gen. Sullivan in his expedition 
through the Genesee Valley, or too much intimidated 
by the movements cf the American forces to and from 
that expedition, to attempt anything but small preda- 
tory or revengeful raids on nearby neighbors. In 1780 
however their operations, accompanied by commission- 
ed officers and men of the British forces, were on a 
larger and more disastrous scale, and were continued 
through 1 78 1 and 1782. 

V. KAiDS IN 1780. 

I. Brant's Raid. April 2nd, 1780, a scout of 14 
men commanded by Lieutenant Alexander Harper 
was sent from the "Middle Fort" by Col. Peter Vro- 
man to the vicinity of Harpersfield to ascertain, among 
other things, what was being done by certain suspect- 
ed persons. They were captured by Brant with a 
force of tories and Indians, 3 being killed and 1 1 made 
prisoners. 

The object of Brant and his force was to invade the 
Schoharie settlements, but being assured by Lieut. 
Harper — at the imminent peril of his own life — that 
the forces in the Schoharie Valley had been increased 
I by the arrival of 300 Continental troops Brant gave up 

the expedition and hurried back to Canada. 

After the conclusion of peace in 1783 those of the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 105 

prisoners taken on this raid that survived the barbari- 
ties inflicted on them in that retreat to Canada and 
their subs3quent confinement were returned on a cartel 
ship to Boston and on foot made their way back to 
their homes. Among these was Freegift Patchin, 
wdio, although he never fully recovered from the bar- 
barities, became a member of the State Legislature, a 
General in the State troops, and in many ways proved 
a valuable citizen. 

2. Cryslkr's Raid. Ju!y 4th, 1780, a party of 
indians and tories, under the command of the tory, 
Captain Adam Crysler, arrived in Sharon, in hopes of 
securing certain well known patriots. Disappointed in 
not finding them at home tliey took William Hynds 
and his family prisoners, plundered the house, and, 
taking several horses to carry the plunder, started with 
their 9 prisoners for Canada. Mrs. Hynds and four of 
the family died in captivity; and, after about three 
years Mr. Hynds, a son, and two daughters returned. 

3. Seth Henry's Raid. July 25th, 1780, Wil- 
liam Bouck — said to have been the first white male 
child born in Schoharie valley — went with part of his 
family from the "Upper Fort," near Fultonham, to 
his dwelling house about two miles from the fort to 
secure his crops. As they were making preparations 
in the evening to retire to rest, the tory Indian, Seth 



106 SUMMARY OF 

Henry, with a company of Indians took them prison- 
ers, secured what plunder the house contained, and 
started for Harpersfield. As soon as information was 
conveyed to the Upper Fort, Captain Hagar, who was 
in command of it, despatched Lieut. Ephraim Vroman 
with twenty men in jDursuit. These met a scouting 
party under command of William Bouck, Jr., son of 
the prisoner, and after an eager pursuit the marauders 
were overtaken and the prisoners rescued and brought 
back to the fort. 

4. Brant's Raid. August 9th, 1780, Capt. 
Hagar sent out from the Upper Fort a party of three 
men. They met a force of 78 tories and Indians under 
Brant, and sought by different routes to regain the fort. 
Some of them reached it, but they were so hotly pur- 
sued there was no time to give the usual cannon alarm 
before the indians began their deadly work. 

Captain Tunis Vroman and Uieutenant Ephraim 
Vroman, as there was no sign of an approaching ene- 
my, had taken their families in the earlier part of the 
day and gone to their respective farms to secure their 
crops. Capt. Tunis Vroman, his wife, and one child 
were killed and scalped, the rest of the family taken 
prisoners. From his house the enemy went to that of 
Lieut. Vroman, Hearing the alarm the Lieutenant 
had caught up his infant child and fled to a cornfield; 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 107 

followed by his wife and daughter. They might have 
escaped detection had not his wife, in her motherly 
anxiety for the safety of her infant, called to her hus- 
band. Her call revealed to the indians her place of 
refuge. She and her daughter were killed and scalp- 
ed, the Lieutenant and infant taken prisoners. 

The enemy burned 9 dwellings and as many barns 
filled with an abundant harvest, all the stacks of grain 
they could find, and took away with them a goodly 
number of prisoners and about 90 horses. The next 
day, when about halfway from the river to Harpers- 
field, Brant permitted nearly all the women and child- 
ren—about one-half of the prisoners — to return to the 
fort, the rest were taken to Niagara, and thence the 
first of December to Montreal. The next summer, 
1 78 1, they with others were exchanged, brought to the 
head of Lake Champlain — Skenesborough, now White- 
hall, and thence returned on foot to their homes, ar- 
riving the last of August. 

5. Johnson's Raid IN October, 17S0. For the 
purpose of taking the forts in Schoharie valley, and 
ravaging the Schoharie and Mohawk valleys after the 
farmers had harvested their crops and it was too late to 
do any planting. Sir John Johnson started in the latter 
part of September from Niagara wdth 500 British, 
Royal, and German troops. On reaching the Susque- 



108 SUMMARY OF 

hanna he was joined b}^ Brant with asmanj-more tories 
and indians, so that his effective force for the incursion 
was at least i,ooo men. 

From the Charlotte River they crossed over, coming 
down the Kehhuragara to the Schoharie River and en- 
camped in the evening of October i6th, near the upper 
end of Vroman's land. 

Thinking that if he could take the Middle Fort, 
which was the most heavily garrisoned, the others 
must surrender, Johnson endeavored to pass the Upper 
Fort unobserved on the morning of, Tuesday, October 
17th, 1780, but his movements were discovered and the 
alarm gun fired thrice. It was replied to by the Mid- 
dle Fort at Middleburgh, and the Lower Fort at Scho- 
harie. On the discharge of the alarm guns the indians 
and tories began their work of devastation, firing ei^ery 
building, barn, and grain or hay stack they could find, 
and killing all the domestic animals except the best 
horses. 

Fortunately for the defence of the garrison at Mid- 
dleburgh, Major Joseph Becker, in command of the 
fort at Schoharie, knowing the scarcity of ammunition 
at the Middle Fort, had sent early that morning two 
men to the fort, each laden with a bag of powder. 
Hearing the alarm guns fired from the fort they quick- 
ened their speed and arrived just as Johnson's forces 



SCHOHAKIE COUNTY. 10^ 

were sweeping across the flats above it. 

At the time of Johnson's invasion there were in all 
about 600 soldiers and militia in the valley; distributed 
as follows: At the Upper Fort under command of 
Capt. Jacob Hagar, an akrt and valiant soldier, were 
about 100 men; at the Middle Fort, under command 
of Major Woolse3\ a Continental office but an arrant 
coward, were about 200 continental and between 100 
and 200 militia. Fortunately Colonel Peter Vroman, 
Lieut. Colonel Peter Zielie, and a few officers and men 
of Col. Vroman' s regiment, all true and courageous 
men, were also there, together with Murphy and Eler- 
son. At the lyOwer. Fort, under command of Major 
Joseph Becker, a thoughtful and energetic man, were 
from 150 to 200 militia. Thus to meet Johnson's 
1,000 merciless men were not over 400 at either fort. 

Coming out on the flats to the south of the fort at 
Middleburgh, Johnson, with his more regular forces, 
crossed the plain obliquely, passing between the fort 
and the hills east of it, and halted on a small eminence 
in an orchard north of it, while the Indians and tories 
scattered in every direction applying the torch and 
killing the stock. 

For artiller}' Johnson had a small mortar and a brass 
six-pounder, the carriage for which was carried in 
parts and was put together when wanted. Placing his 



no StJMMAt^Y 0^ 

artillery in the orchard, Johnson commenced a cannon- 
ade of the fort while his forces opened a musket fire 
upon it from several directions. 

After the firing had continued briskly for a time it 
ceased and an officer in uniform, a fifer, and a soldier 
bearing a white flag started from Johnson' s position 
toward the fort. Major Woolsey was in favor of re- 
ceiving the flag. Not so the little force of soldiers 
stationed there, nor the settlers whose wives and child- 
ren had come to the fort for protection. Knowing 
what would befall them all if they fell into the hands 
of such a foe, and knowing how dangerous it would 
be to let Johnson find out how weak were their defen- 
ces, how few their numbers, and how scanty their am- 
munition, Timothy Murphy fired upon the trio when 
they came within range. Not however with the in- 
tention of killing nor even wounding them, but simply 
to say to them: ''Thus far but no farther can you 
come." The trio took the hint and went back. Major 
Woolsey was enraged. Pistol in hand he demanded 
who fired. Murphy told him. Threatening words 
passed between them both. Twice afterward the flag 
advanced, and twice Murphy sent it back. I-iring was 
then resumed by Johnson. Woolsey, after his alterca- 
tion with Murphy, went to the building where the 
women and children were. Their laughter, jeers, and 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. Ill 

satire drove liim out. Meeting Colonel Vronian he re- 
signed the command to him and sought a place of safe- 
ty. The next day Major Woolsey left the fort and 
never returned, nor is it known what report he made 
to those in higher authority. 

Professor Kimm, in his brief but excellent "History 
of the Iroquois" speaking of this raid gives the follow- 
ing account: "Johnson had ordered that the church 
should not be destroyed. How well his commands 
w^ere obeyed is shown by the following quotation from 
a paper read by the Hon. George L. Danforth at the 
centennial of the Old Dutch Church at Middleburgh: 
'And now coming down to the terrible but glorious 
17th day of October, 1780, terrible in its work of de- 
struction and desolation, glorious in the perfect defence 
and triumphant resistance of the three forts. Before 
the sun begins his career that day we hear the boom of 
the alarm gun at the Upper Fort five miles away, and 
the guns of our fort over there answer. Aye! Aye! 
We wait and watch in feverish suspense, and soon we 
.see the advance down the valley of the British, Tories, 
and Indians working their way by smoke and flame. 
They reach Weiser Dorf; and barns and dwellings, 
stacks of hay and straw, yield to the barbarous torch; 
and with an additional pang of sorrow we see the lurid 
flames mount the sides and circle the .steeple of the old 



il2 StJMMARY OF 

butch meeting house, dear to the hearts of the herioc 
band who stand at the Middle Fort read}^ to receive 
and able to roll back the shock and charge of the com- 
ing foe. ' ' ' 

Johnson remained at Middleburgh until after two 
o'clock in the afternoon, when, having destroyed all 
he could find of every kind <;f property, he moved down 
the valle}^ toward the Lower Fort at Schoharie. 

When he came onto the plain a little north of where 
the court house now stands, about where the road to 
the railroad station branches at a right angle from 
Main Street, the well directed shots from the larger 
cannon at the fort caused the forces to divide. The 
more regular portion went to the left of the fort, across 
the fiats, and halted just after crossing Fox's Creek, 
where, putting together the parts of their six-pounder, 
they opened fire on the fort. Brant and the Indian 

force went to the right, over the flat between the fort 
and the hills to the east, and, after crossing Fox's creek 
later in the day, united with the other troops. 

Here I beg leave to express doubt as to the accuracy 
of a tradition which says the six-pounder of the fort 
was taken outside of the enclosure and for a time can- 
nonaded the advancing indians and tories. I doubt it 
for the following, among other reasons; — 

I. It was unmilitary. For a time it dismantled apart 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 11(] 

of the fort; exposed those who handled the gun to 
greater danger; and ran the uncalled-for risk of losing 
the piece. 

2. Men and time are each valuable in an assault or 
siege. It required more men than the usual number of 
gunners to run the gun speedily by hand back within 
the enclosure. It necessitated opening the gates, 
drawing in the gun, closing and fastening the gates 
again. An unnecessary withdrawal of men from other 
parts of the fort where their service was needed every 
moment for defence, and also running the risk of the 
entrance of a hostile force. 

3. It prevented the use of the gun when most need- 
ed. It would not be withdrawn from its outside posi- 
tion until it would be necessary to do so to save it from 
capture. This would be at a time when its discharges 
were most needed and would do the most execution on 
the advancing enemy. 

The time spent in getting the cannon within the en- 
closure and onto the elevated gun -platform in the cor- 
ner was too valuable to be lost and the men required to 
do the work were too much needed with their muskets 
elsewhere. 

4. The range of the gun — that is the distance to 
which it would carry ball or shot — would be consider- 
ably greater when on its elevated platform within the 

8 



114 StJMMARY OF^ 

fort than it possibly conld be on the ground outside. 

For thes2 and other reasons I do not think the gun 
was taken outside of the enclosure. 

Having completed his work of devastation in the 
valley and found the forts could not be readily taken 
Johnson went north about six miles on the trail lead- 
ing past Sloansviile to Fort Hunter and encamped. 

It was a sad day for the settlers of the valley. 

Where in the morning had been substantial dwell- 
ings, well filled barns, numerous stacks of grain and 
ha}^ horses, cattle, and the conveniences of life, now 
were smouldering heaps and dead stock. So complete 
had been the work of destruction it was with difficulty 
the inhabitants procured enough for their subsistence 
during the winter and until next year's early crops 
ripened. 

VI. RAIDS IN I 78 I. 

I. Sharon Batti.k. July 9th, i78i,a party of 
500 tories and indians under command of the tory cap- 
tain John Doxtader entered a small settlement in the 
present town of Root in Montgomery County, murder- 
ed some of the inhabitants, took others prisoners, plun- 
dered and burned about a dozen houses, and killed or 
drove off what stock they found. On the morning of 
the same dav Col. I\Iarinus Willett, in command of the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. Il6 

forces at Fort Plain on the Mohawk, sent Capt. Law- 
rence Goss with about 40 men from the fort for the 
double purpose of scouting and of procuring provisions. 
Capt. Gross struck the trail of Doxtader's force and 
pursued it until he saw where they were encamped. 
He then sent two mounted men in haste to inform Col. 
Willett of his discover}', Col. Willett was one of the 
most energetic and daring officers in the Continental 
service, and seemed alwa5's ready for any emergency. 

He at once started with a force of 260 men and ar- 
rived in the vicinity of Doxtader's force about day 
light. Doxtader's party was encamped in a cedar 
swamp near the center of the present town of Sharon, 
and about two miles east of Sharon Springs, Skillful- 
ly placing his men in ambush and sending out a decoy 
of a few men Col. Willett drew Doxtader's force from 
their camp. Both parties fought from behind stumps 
and trees for about two hours, when Doxtader retreat- 
ed; and his force was so hotly pnrsued by the Ameri- 
cans led by Col. Willett in person that most of their 
camp equipage and the plunder obtained the day be- 
fore, fell into the hands of the Americans. Col. Wil- 
letts loss was 5 men killed and 8 wounded — two of 
them mortally. The loss of the enemy is uncertain, al- 
though it was afterwards found to be 50 or more. 

2. Raid on Cobi^kskili.. As alreadv stated when 



il6 SUMMARY OF 

Col. Diiboise was in command of the forces in the 
Schoharie Valley, he built several block-houses for the 
better protection of the inhabitants, and to which they 
could fly in case of danger. One of these was near 
the present Village of Cobleskill and was called by the 
settlers "Fort Duboise." 

September I st, i 781, a party of 30, mostly indians, 
but under whose command is unknown, entered unex- 
pectedly the settlement where Cobleskill Village now 
is, surprised and killed several, took a few prisoners, 
plundered and burned what buildings they could, and 
passing near Fort Duboise — at that time feebly garri- 
soned — fired a few times at it, then passed up the 
stream and at Richmond ville passed over the hills into 
Charlotte Valley. 

3. Brant and Crysler's Raid. Although there 
were no white settlers in the present town of Jefferson 
until after the Revolution an engagement was fought 
within it on the banks of Lake Utsyantha. 

November 1st, 1781, a party of about 70 tories and 
indians under Brant and the tor}' Captain Adam Crys- 
ler entered Vroman's Land a short distance above the 
Upper Fort. One object of their coming was to re- 
move Crysler's family, which up to this time had lived 
at Breakabeen. They did not tarry long in the vicinity 
of the fort, l^ut, after killing and scalping Isaac Vro- 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 117 

man, and taking a few prisoners and Crysler's family, 
passed up the river on their way back to the Susque- 
hanna taking with them whatever plunder was avail- 
able on the way. As soon as information came to the 
fort. Timothy Murphy and a small party was sent in 
pursuit. They overtook Brant's force on the Kenhur- 
agara, and in the short engagement that followed one 
of Murphy's men was wounded and carried back to the 
fort where he died the next day. 

On receiving information from Murphy respecting 
the movements of the enemy. Col. Vroman sent out a 
party under the command of Capt. Hagar, consisting 
of 15 or 20 Schoharie Rangers and about 60 eastern 
troops under Capt. Hale in pursuit. They marched a 
good part of the night and on arriving at a fork of the 
roads — one branch leading to Harpersfield and the 
other to Lake Utsyantha, Capt. Hagar halted and 
waited for da^dight as it was uncertain which way the 
enemy had gone. 

When it was light enough to see the trail it was 
found they had gone toward the lake. Pursuit was 
now renewed, and several horses laden with plunder 
and a number of cattle abandoned by the enemy were 
recovered. Ascending a ridge of land near the lake 
Capt. Hagar's force was fired upon. Capt. Hagar or- 
dered Hale to "Plank to the right and march on." 



118 SUMMARY OF 

Instead of obeying the order Hale retreated. Brant 
seeing his cowardly retreat at once advanced upon 
Capt. Hagar, who had now less than 20 men with 
which to withstand Brant's force of 60 or more. Capt. 
Hagar and Murphy ran to overtake the cowardly Hale, 
and compelled him and his men to "about face." 
Having restored order and infused a portion of his 
own fearless spirit into the troop, Capt. Hagar was re- 
newing the pursuit when Colonel Vroman with 40 men 
arrived on the ground. Reinforced and now com- 
manded by Col. Vroman the pursuit w^as vigorously re- 
newed, but after going about two miles was given up 
as the enemy had left the usual path and taken to the 
woods or some concealed path and there was great 
danger of the American forces being caught in some 
kind of an ambush. 

VII. RAIDS IN 1782. 

I. Crysler's Raid. July 26th, 1782, the notori 
ous tory Captain Adam Crysler with a party of about 
25, mostly indians, made a raid into Fox's creek val- 
ley, commencing their murderous work at the house of 
David Zimmer, near the present village of Gallupville, 
and coming down the creek to the stone house of Major 
Johannes Becker about two miles from the Lower Fort. 
At or near this point they left Fox's creek, passed over 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 119 

the hill, and went up the Cobleskill Creek to Rich- 
mondville, killing several persons on the wa}-, taking 
a few prisoners, and burning houses and barns where- 
ever possible. From Richmondville they passed over 
the hill to the Charlotte River. 

2. There were several other raids during the year, 
but they were made by small parties, and in character 
did not differ from those recorded. 

VII r. TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. 

Crysler was an active tory leader. We find him with 
McDonald in his raid in 1777, also at Wyoming, 
Cherry Valley, Seward, the German Flats, Lake 
Utsyantha, and several other places, and always the 
same pitiless tory. 

Brant was an indian, fierce, able, and tireless, but he 
has been considered much more cruel and bloody than 
he really was. There was a manliness in his action 
that towered far above the tory leaders, and he fre- 
quently exhibited traits of humanity and tenderness in 
behalf of the defenceless and^ toward the unfortunate 
prisoners that are redeeming qualities in his character 
and separate him widely from the tory forces with 
which he so often made incursions into the settlements. 

W^arner in his history of 'rSchoharie County Veter- 
ans of Four Wars" says the JRatriots could divide the 



120 SUMMARY OF 

enemy into three classes so far as degrees of humanity 
might govern their acts, and tells us — 

1. The ludian would take the first or highest rank 
for true, positive humanity; 

2. The Regular Army of the King would follow 
next; 

3. The Tory — the neighbor and fellow countryman 
of the Patriot — would win the championship for out- 
Heroding them all in barbarity. 

He gives the following as the four routes of travel 
taken with the prisoners; the first three converging in 
the valley of the Charlotte River and then continuing 
down to the Susquehanna: — 

1. The route from the Schoharie and Cobleskill 
valleys by way of what are now Richmondville and 
Summit. 

2. By way of West Fulton and Summit to the 
Charlotte River. 

3. By way of Blenheim and Summit to the Char- 
lotte River. 

4. From Harpersfield down the head waters of the 
Delaware and thence across the mountains to the Sus- 
quehanna. 

All four routes passed down the Susquehanna to the 
mouth of the Chemung and thence in a northwesterly 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 121 

direction to the Genesee River and to the British post 
at Niagara. 

lie says, — "A large number of the prisoners taken 
from the Schoharie settlements were non-combatants, 
not belonging to the militai}' nor enrolled for service. 
A few old men, many women, boys, and girls made 
the terrible journey of between two and three hundred 
miles under the goad of their captors, with the shrieks 
of their murdered wife, brother, sister, mother, or 
neighbor still ringing in their ears, and witli no hope 
of life before them." 

"If the prisoners escaped the gauntlet at the indian 
villages they were taken to the British post and paid 
for." 

"After the delivery to the officers the prisoners were 
disposed of in various ways," — and among these ways 
he gives the following — 

1. Some were rented out as laborers and servants 
to persons residing in the vicinity. 

2. Some were required to do menial service for the 
government. 

3. Some were kept in close confinement and sub- 
jected to severe treatment. 

4. A few were comparatively well treated. 



CHAPTER VI. 
The Towns. 

I. Blenheim. As previously stated Blenheim was 
one of the first towns formed in the County. It was 
taken from Schoharie March 17th, 1797, and received 
its name from the Blenheim Patent, part of which lies 
in the northern part of the town. The surface is hilly, 
broken by deep ravines; the soil is fertile; and the chief 
occupation of the inhabitants is farming. The West 
Kill — the outlet of Summit Lake — enters the town 
about the middle of the western boundary line and 
flows southeast through a valley or depression nearly 
parallel with the southern boundary line, and enters the 
Schoharie River at North Blenheim near the eastern 
border of the town. 

The earliest settlers were the children of the Dutch 
and German inhabitants of Middleburgh and Scho- 
harie. Although no actual engagement occurred dur- 
ing the Revolution within the limits of the present 
town, the greater part of the early settlers were driven 
off or made prisoners during the struggle. Some re- 
turned after peace was declared and we find German, 



SCHOHARIE COt'NTY. 123 

Dutch, Scotch-Irish, and New England immigrants 
making up the bulk of its inhabitants. 

The foUowino^ is taken from an article written by 
one who in youth was a "Blenheim Boy" and now is 
Principal of one of the flourishing schools in the cen- 
tral part of the State. 

"There is in Schoharie County a plateau like area 
known as Blenheim Hill. A climb of several miles is 
necessary to its approach from any direction, but once 
on the summit the land is comparatively level, remark- 
ably fertile, and well watere:l by never failing springs. 
The scenery approaches in its grandeur any found in 
the State. On the west, south, and east the Catskills 
range themselves, their wooded ridges and domes out- 
lined against the sky ten, twenty, and even forty miles 
away. 

The one thing lacking in American farm homes to- 
day is an incentive to patriotism. We measure success 
by wrong standards; we set false lights before the 
youth of our land; we forget the meaning of Home. 
The man who owns a farm, who lives upon it, who 
makes it in every sense a Home, who brings up his 
family there and teaches his sons its value, does all 
that a man can do for himself, his kindred, and the 
State." 

2. Broome. One of the six original towns of the 



124 SUMMARY OF 

County — was formed from Schoharie March 17, 1797. 
It was first called Bristol, but the name was changed 
April 6th 1808, to Broome in honor of Lieutenant 
Governor John Broome, who was much admired in 
this portion of the State for his sterling honesty, strict 
integrity, and high political ability. 

Catskill Creek rises in the northern part of the town, 
flows southeastward, through Albany County, and emp- 
ties into the Hudson. Keyser's Creek rises in the 
southern part of the town, flows northwestward, and 
empties into the Schoharie River at Breakabeen. 
Little Schoharie — also called Stony Creek — rises in the 
eastern part between branches of the Catskill Creek, 
flows northward through the town; then westward 
through Middleburgh, and empties into the Schoharie 
River opposite to the Line kill, the boundary line be- 
tween Middleburgh and Fulton. 

The great Indian trail establishing connection be- 
tween the Hudson, the Indian and white settlements 
on the Schoharie River, and those in the Charlotte and 
Susquehanna Valleys, passed through this town follow- 
ing up the Catskill Creek and down Ke} ser's Creek to 
the Schoharie River. Of that path nothing is now left 
but the rippling waters of the diminished streams that 
once guided the warrior and the early pioneer. 

The first settlements w^ere made before the Revolu- 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 125 

tioii, but during the war only a few settlers remained. 
One only figures in history — Derick Van Dyke, whose 
home was near the present village of Livingstonvillej 
whose house was burned by the tories in 1781, and at 
whose home Timothy Murphy frequently stopped 
when out on his scouting expeditions. But when 
danger was imminent Van Dyke himself was obliged 
to go to the Upper or to the Middle fort for protection. 
After the Revolution settlers came from the older settle- 
ments along the Schoharie River, but the chief inflow 
was from New England. 

Three names in history are worthy of record here as 
they had homes or possessions within the limits of the 
town — David Elerson, David Williams, and Daniel 
Shay. 

David Elerson — the almost inseparable companion of 
Murphy in his daring expeditions, settled in 1793 on 
the Flatten kill within the limits of the original town 
of Bristol, or Broome, but by a division of the town in the 
formation of Gilboa, March 16th, 1S48, that part of the 
town became part of Gilboa. Elerson died in 1838 and 
is buried near Mackey's corners, therefore, although 
he died and was buried in Broome his grave is in 
Gilboa. 

David Williams, who with his companions Isaac Van 
Wart and John Paulding captured Major Andre, came 



1^6 SUMMARY 0^ 

to the town in 1806 and settled near Ivivingstonvilleori 
a farm previously owned by General Shay. He died 
August 2nd, 1 83 1, and was bnried at Livingstonville, 
but in July 1876 the remains were removed to the "Old 
Stone Fori" at Schoharie and a beautiful monument 
erected by the State over his grave. Paulding and Van 
Wart were never residents of this county. Paulding 
died in 18 18 and is buried at Peekskill. A monument 
was erected over his remains in 1827. Van Wart died 
1828, and is buried at Greenburgh, near Tarrytown, 
in the grounds attached to the Presbyterian church, of 
which he was for many years an efficient officer. 

General Daniel Shay — a brave and efficient off.cer in 
the Revolution, is mentioned in our school histories as 
the leader of "Shay's Rebellion" in western Massa- 
chusetts in 1786 and 1787. A brief statement respect- 
ing the rebellion is proper here as its character is but 
little understood. The Revolutionary war had ended. 
Congress had no power. The Confederation of States 
existed in name but not in realit3\ Each State w^as an 
independent sovereignty and made its owm laws irre- 
spective of the others. The county was rapidly drift- 
ing to anarchy and ruin. The People had become im- 
poverished by the war; debts could not be paid; the 
money — or what claimed to be such — issued by one 
State was worthless in another; farms were being .sold 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 127 

to pa}^ to creditors the debts due from impoverished 
soldiers; business was paralyzed; property was sinking 
in value; and ruin stared the whole county in the face. 
The farmers demanded relief. In August 1786 the 
malcontents in western Massachusetts rose in rebellion, 
gathered several thousand strong at Springfield, placed 
General Daniel Shay at their head, and declared they 
would march to Boston and compel the State Legisla- 
ture to redress their grievances. The Governor order- 
ed the State Troops under General Ivincoln to march 
against them. Lincoln met tlie forces at Petersham. 
Unable to successfully resist the well-armed State 
troops the forces under General Shay scattered. Gen- 
eral Shay left MassachUvSetts, came to New York, 
bought a large tract of land a considerable part of 
which was in Broome, settled upon it where the vil- 
lage of Preston Hollow now is, won the respect of all 
he met, and, according to Danforth's Directory "died 
in 1821 in Preston Hollow, where his remains lie be- 
neath a plain head-stone." 

3. Carlisle.. Carlisle was formed from Cobleskill 
and Sharon by an Act of the Legislature passed 
March 31st, 1807, and named for Mr. Carlisle Pierce — 
a highly esteemed resident. The first town meeting 
was held March ist, 180S, "agreeably to an Act of the 



128 SUMMARY OF 

Legislature" to elect a Supervisor and other town of- 
ficers. 

The surface of the town is a high ridge lying be- 
tween the Mohawk and Cobleskill valleys; its soil is 
chiefly a sandy loam; its streams are small brooks, and 
the peculiarity of a number is that they are surface 
streams for awhile, then disappear and come to the sur- 
face again several miles distant — perhaps in Carlisle, 
perhaps in an adjoining towaa. A large part of the 
rock in the town is limestone. In this rock are ' 'sink 
holes' ' of various sizes in which the surface water dis- 
appears and pursues an underground course. From 
the character of the rock and the position in which it 
lies, it is thought quite a number of caves exist. Only 
a few have been even partially explored, and so diffi- 
cult and hazardous are the entrances to these they have 
mostl}^ been filled up with logs, brush, and stone. 

The early settlers were Germans from the ' 'Camps' ' 
on the Hudson, who settled in the southwestern part 
of the town; the next were from Rhiuebeck, and after 
the Revolution a large number of immigrants came 
from New England attracted by the idea that gained 
credence during the w^ar that it was a wonderful coun- 
try for growing wheat. But the roads were few and 
bad. It was difficult for the immigrants to move their 
families, and equally difficult after locating to get their 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 120 

farm products to market. The State came to their 
aid. An Act was passed by the Legislature in April 
1792 for the construction of a road from Albau}' to 
Cherry Valley. This is the "Great Western Turn- 
pike," now simply called "The Turnpike," that enters 
the County at Esperance village and passes in nearly a 
straight line westward through Sloansville, Carlisle, 
Little York, and Sharon. It seemed destined to be 
the "great thoroughfare," and thriving, bustling vil- 
lages sprung up along its course. All went well until 
settlements were made "too far west" and traffic di- 
verted to the Mohawk valley. Now the Erie Canal 
and the railroads of the Mohawk valley on the north, 
and the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad on the 
south have drawn away the great business of the 
Turnpike and the villages have become nearly dor- 
mant. 

4. CoBLKSKiLL, one of the six "original towns," 
was formed from Schoharie, March 17th, 1797. The 
surface, like the other towns in the County, is a hilly 
upland broken by deep valleys. The principal valle}' 
reaches in an east and west direction through the cen- 
ter of the town, and through it flows the Cobleskill 
Creek, which rises in Worcester, Otsego County, at an 
elevation of about 1475 feet above sea-lei-el. 

Some question has arisen as to the origin of the 

9 



130 SUMMARY OF 

name Cobleskill. One tradition says a German, Jacob 
Kobell, settled near the mouth of the stream and built 
or talked of building a mill upon it. Another tradition 
is that an Indian chief named Cobus lived where War- 
nerville now is. Another, that the cattle that roamed 
along the banks of the stream were provided with bells. 
Another, that it w?s named from the water- worn peb- 
bles lying in the stream. Now — if it is a fact that the 
Germans settled in the Schoharie Valley; if one of 
these settlements was at or near the mouth of the 
stream, and as they increased in numbers their farms 
extended up the stream; if one of these settlers was 
named Kobell and he built or talked of building a mill 
for the greater accommodation of the inhabitants, — it 
would have been quite natural if an absent settler was 
inquired for, or the inquiry made for the location of 
the home of the new-comer, the answer would be re- 
turned "Down at Kobell's kill," and we need not be 
led away by an iron cow-bell nor seek to cross the stream 
on slippery stones. 

The historical events connected with the town have 
been given elsewhere; and its chief natural curiosities, 
Howe's Cave situated at the eastern border of the 
town, Mineral Springs about two miles south of Co- 
bleskill Village, and the outburst of subterranean 



SCHOHAHIE COUNTY. i3i 

streams along the banks of the creek have already been 
mentioned. 

While farming is the chief industry of the town ex- 
tensive manufacturing and quirrying industries are 
situated along the line of the railroad. At Cobleskill 
Village are prosperous agricultural works; a sash, 
blind, door, and builder's supply factory; an extensive 
shirt factory; and a stone quarry. A little east of the 
Village is the Klondike stone quarry, and on the east- 
ern border of the town Howe's Cave cement, lime, and 
stone quarry. 

Situated on the direct line of the Albany and Sus- 
quehanna railroad, aud at the junction of the Sharon 
branch, and easy of access from all directions by stage 
and teams Cobleskill Village is well located for a 
school. Consequently we find there a flourishing 
High School having an Academic Department under 
the Regents of the Universit}'. 

5. C0NESVII.1.K. Owing to the distance the inhab- 
itants were compelled to go to transact their town bus- 
iness a petition was sent to the Legislature for the for- 
mation of a new towm, and on March 3rd, 1836, an act 
was passed dividing the towns of Broome in Schoharie 
County and Durham in Greene, and uniting the parts 
thus taken in the formation of the new town of Cones- 
ville. It was named in honor of Rev. Jonathan Cone, 



1^2 SUMMARY OF 

a minister dear to the hearts of the people Hving in 
that part of the County. The first annual town meet- 
ing for the election of officers was held Tuesday, April 
i8, 1837. 

But the history of the town goes back further than 
its formation. In 1754 letters patent were given to a 
German, named Ury Richtmyer, for two tracts of land, 
one lying in the western part of the present town, and 
the other in the eastern. He settled upon one of these 
in 1764, and died at his home August 14, 1769. Dur- 
ing the Revolution the greater part of the settlers that 
remained true to the American cause fled to the Middle 
Fort — at Middleburgh — for better protection and safe- 
ty. After the war closed quite a number of families 
from the older settlements in the County and immi- 
grants from New England located in the town and be- 
gan clearing up its forests. 

The town is hilly with a transverse valley running 
east and west a little south of the central line. 
Through this flows the Manorkill in a westerly direc- 
tion, and emptying into the Schoharie River. Near 
its mouth is a beautiful cascade or fall fully sixty feet 
high. 

Farming is the chief industry, and as the town is 
quite hilly the farmers have given more attention to 
stock and sheep raising than to other branches of the 



schoiiarip: county. 133 

work. In butter, stock raising, and the produition of 
wool the town ranks above the average in both quan- 
tity and quality. The outlet for the farm products is 
at Grand Gorge on the Ulster and Delaware railroad, 
but the station is distant, and the steep and heavy 
grades that abound on the highways render exporta- 
tion difficult. There are also quarries of good stone, 
but the cost oi tranportation has prevented their de- 
velopment. 

6. ESPKRANCE. Esperance was formed from Scho- 
harie by an act of the I^egislature passed April 4th, 
1846, and in area is the smallest of the sixteen towns 
in the county. 

As part of the Kueiskern dorf in the Schoharie Val- 
ley is embraced within the limits of the present town 
the earliest settlers were the Palatine Germans. In 
1739 Jacob and Hendrick Ten Eyck received a land 
grant embracing the present village of Esperance. In 
1803 the heir — Harmon us Ten Eyck laid out between 
'60 and 70 acres in building lots where Esperance A'il- 
lage now is. In Februar}^ 1806 the same was sold by 
him to General William North, who had been, an Aid 
to Baron Steuben during the Revolution. Settlers 
came in from New England. The Village was pros- 
perous, and situated about midway on the main line of 
travel between AJbaiij and Cherry Valley gave promise 



134 SUMMARY OF 

of substantial growth. General North therefore gave 
it the name of Esperance from a French word meaning 
"Hope," and when the town was formed in 1846 the 
name of the village was given to the whole town. Of 
the six incorporated villages in the county Esperance 
is the oldest having been incorporated by a Legislative 
Act April 21st, 1832. "Esperance Academy" estab- 
lished in 1835 in the old stone building on the north 
side of main street in the village has already been 
mentioned. 

The chief industry is farming. The outlet for hay 
and similar products is the Albau}^ and Susquehanna 
railroad, but large quantities of butter and eggs are 
sent to cities in the Mohawk Valley. There are also 
quarries in the town that annually ship large amounts 
of stone for curbing, flagging, and foundation work. 

The Albany and Suequehanna railroad — or, as it is 
now more commonly called "The D. and H." as it is 
leased to and operated by the Delaware and Hudson 
Canal Company — enters the County on the eastern 
border of Esperance, south of the Schoharie River, 
and pursues westward its winding way through the 
northwest corner of Schoharie, follows up the Cobles- 
kill Creek, through the central part of Coble^kill, and 
the northern part of Richmondville, The elevation of 
the road above sea-level where it enters the town of 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 135 

Hsperance is given by the railroad surveyors as 700 
feet, about 600 at Central Bridge, 900 at Cobleskill, 
1 1 75 at Richmoadville, and 1470 where it leaves the 
western border of Richmond vi lie and enters Otsego 
County. The road is 143 miles in length, and was 
opened for traffic to Central Bridge in 1863, toOneonta 
in 1865, and to Binghamton in 1869. In February 
I870 it was leased to the Delaware and Hudson Canal 
Company. It was built under most discouraging cir- 
cumstances and strong opposition. Hon. Joseph H. 
Ramse}^ was its acknowledged Champion. Without 
his strong support and financial ability it is doubtful 
if it would, have been constructed. In his efforts he 
w^as ably assisted by Hon. W. C. Lamont, Charles 
Courter, and a few others. Until the road was built 
the whole produce of the county was drawn by teams 
to Albany — the nearest market. Now, with branches 
running to Middleburgh and Sharon Springs, a large 
portion of the county is furnished with convenient 
railroad communication. The road has had a marked 
ceffect on the thrift and enterprise of the county, has 
developed new lines of business and industry, has en- 
couraged the growth of several villages, and given an 
outlet for products that oihervvisa would have been 
valueless. The farmer, the merchant, and the bus- 
iness man have alike been benefited by it. 



136 SUMMARY OF 

7. FuivTON. This town was originally a part of 
Middleburgh but was sej^arated from it April i5tli, 
1828. By elevation of surface it would almost seem 
the town could be divided into two parts. The east- 
ern, comprising about one twentieth of the whole town, 
lying along the Schoharie River, embracing the rich 
broad flats, and finding an outlet for its products at 
Middleburgh. Tlie Western, more hilly and broken 
forming part of the plateau that extends through the 
county, and finding an outlet for its products at Sum- 
mit or Cobleskill. Farming is the chief industry of 
the whole town, and it ranks fifth or sixth in the value 
of its products. In the eastern part corn, the different 
kinds of grain, hops, apples and other kinds of fruit 
are the chief products, and are easily taken to Middle- 
burgh. In the Western part stock raising and dairy- 
ing are more largely engaged in. Summit is the butter 
market, while the outlet for its potatoes, hops, buck- 
wheat, and other products is found at Cobleskill. 
There are several quarries of first class flagging stone 
in the town, but the coj^t of transportation is so great 
they are of but little value. There are also several 
mineral springs in the town; but they are small, un- 
developed, and have nothing more than a local reputa- 
tion. 

The Kenhuragara, or Panther Creek, as it was form- 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 137 

crly called, rises in the southwestern part of the town, 
flows southeasterl}' nearly parallel with the southern 
boundary of the town, and enters the Schoharie River 
a little south of Bouck's Island, or about halfway be- 
tween Breakabeen and Fultonham. The position of 
this stream on one of the great Indian trails has al- 
ready been mentioned. On this stream, about one 
mile west of the Schoharie River are Bouck's Falls 
described in a former chapter. The historical events 
connected with the stream, with Breakabeen, and the 
"Upper Fort" which was situated near Fultonham in 
the eastern part of the town have also been given in a 
former chapter. 

The town has the honor of being the birth place, 
home, and burial ground of Governor William C. 
Bouck, whom no one that has occupied the Governor's 
chair has excelled in purity of purpose, nobility of 
character, strict integrity, and sterling worth. 

8. GiLBOA. Blenheim and Broome were so large 
it was inconvenient for the settlers of the present town 
of Gilboa to transact business in them. A petition 

was therefore sent to the Legislature asking for their 
division and the formation of a new town from the 
parts set off. A bill to accomplish this passed March 
1 6th, 1848, and as the village of G'lboa was the busi- 
ness center its name was given to the town. The first 



138 SUMMARY OF 

town meeting for the election of officers was held 
April 2oth, 1848. The Ulster & Delaware Railroad 
enters the town about the middle of the southern bor- 
der, sweeps in a curve through the southern part of the 
town, and leaves it at the southwest corner. The 
Schoharie River flow^s northward across the middle of 
the town, receiving on its eastern side the Plattenkill 
and on the western, Minekill. 

The first settlers were the Dise family in 1760. Be- 
coming tories tlie}^ left at the commencement of the 
Revolution and went to Canada. After the Revolution 
there was an inflow of New Knglanders, who settled 
on the plateau extending along the southern and 
southwestern part of the County. They became there- 
fore the early settlers of the town. 

Farming is the chief industry; the branches of it 
that are best adapted to an upland country well sup- 
plied with springs of pure water are the ones selected. 
The chief outlet for the farm products is the Ulster & 
Delaw^are Railroad. 

In 1840 the "Gilboa Cotton Mill Company" was 
formed and erected a mill on the v'^choharie River, 
which soon became prosperous, and the busy hum of 
the spindle was heard in the valle}-. The flood of 1869 
injured the property, entailed heavy loss, and no at- 
tempt has been made since to carry on the enterprise. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 139 

9. Jefferson. A petition was sent to the State 
Legislature in January, 1803, asking for the fonration 
of a new town in the southwestern part of the County, 
and on February T2th an Act was passed setting off a 
portion of Blenheim and giving to the new town the 
name of Jefferson. On March ist a town meeting was 
held and officers elected. 

A curved ridge lying nearly east and west extends 
through the town and forms the watershed between the 
Delaware and Mohawk systems of rivers. The real 
source of the Delaware is a spring that flows from 
under a large rock near the foot of the slope on the 
northwest side of Mine Hill — a prominence whose sum- 
mit is about 3,200 feet above sea level. From this 
spring it flows nearly south for about two miles and 
empties into Utsyantha Lake situated on the southern 
border of the town. About one mile from its source 
the Stamford Water Company has constructed a rCvSer- 
voir and there is water enough to give the village an 
ample supply. 

The surface of tlie town is hilly, the soil fertile and 
under a good state of cultivation. Farming is the 

chief industry; the special branch being the manufac- 
ture of butter and the exportation of cream. Large 
quantities of both are shipped although they have to 
be taken to the railroad station at Stamford, in Dela- 



140 SUMMARY OF' 

ware Count}-, some seven miles from the village of Jef- 
ferson. Such is the quantity and quality of the cream 
and butter produced in the town Jefferson ranks among 
the fir^t, if, in fact, it is not the first in the County. 

Indian trails from the Hudson and from Middle- 
burgh led through what is now the town of Jefferson, 
but there were no white settlers within its limits until 
after the Revolution. The first settlers came from 
New England in 1794. Some located in the eastern 
part, some around Lake Utsyantha, and some near 
where the present village of Jefferson is situated. 

Although the early .«^ettlers were poor they were in- 
terested in education. Herman Hickok w^as the first 
schoolteacher, and in 181 1 a subscription paper was 
drawn up by him for the building of ' 'Jefferson Acad- 
emy" — that pioneer c;f schools of higher grade within 
the limits of our County. In 181 7 the school was in 
operation with Rev. William Salsbury, Principal. In 
November, 1824, the school was incorporated by an 
Act of the State Legislature. In May, 1852, the "Jef- 
ferson x\cademy" ceased to exist and became a thing 
of the past. 

10. MiDDLEBURGH, one of the six "original towns" 
in the County, was formed from Schoharie, March 17, 

1797- 

The Schoharie River flows northward across the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 141 

town dividing it into ridges of upland with a broad in- 
tervale or flat upon the sides of the stream. On the 
eastern side, a little south of the present village of 
Middleburgh, the river rsfceives the inflow of the Little 
Schoharie, and almost directly- opposite the Linekill 
enters. The effect of the meeting of these streams has 
alread}^ been given. 

The first settlers were the Palatines. Their most 
southern settlement, called Weiser's Dorf, was situated 
where the village of Middleburgh now is. Hartman's 
Dorf, about two miles north of Weiser's, was also with- 
in the present limits of the town. About halfway be- 
tween these two dorfs was what is known as the "Mid- 
dle Fort." The Indian name of the hills surrounding 
the village of Middleburgh are given in Danforth's Di- 
rectory as follows: "The hill opposite the village of 
Middleburgh was called by the Indians On-can-ge-na 
meaning 'Mountain of Snakes.' A mountain just a- 
bove Middleburgh, on the west side, was called 0-nis- 
ta-gra-wa; the next west was called To-wok-now-ra, or 
'Spring Hill;' and one southeast of Middleburgh, Mo- 
he-gau-ter." 

The historical events connected with the settlement 
of Middleburgh, the thrilling incidents of its early his- 
tory, the part it bore in the tragic events of the Revo- 
lution, have been given elsewhere. 



142 SUMMARY OP 

Middleburgii village is the southern terminus of the 
Middleburgh & Schoharie Railroad, connecting at 
Central Bridge with the Albany & Susquehanna Rail- 
road. It is thus an easy outlet for the farm produce 
of the rich alluvial fiats and for the farms upon the 
hillsides that slope toward the great central depression 
that reaches in a north and south line through the 
County. 

Owing to its position and ease of access the village 
of Middleburgh has become one of the educational cen- 
ters of the County, and maintains a first class High 
School with a large Academic Department under the 
Regents. 

II. RiCHMONDViLLE. April nth, 1849, ^^ Act 
was passed by the Legislature dividing the tov>ai of 
Cobleskill, forming a new town from the portion set 
off, and giving it the name of the post office already 
established in it — Richmond ville. October 21st, 1851, 
a portion of Seward was annexed, thus giving to the 
town its present territory. 

A little north of the center it is crossed from west to 
east by the Cobleskill Creek, which rises in Worcester, 
Otsego Count3^ The largest branches of the creek in 
this town are on the southern side and have their head 
waters in the northern part of Summit. The Albany 
& Susquehanna Railroad, located on the northern side 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 143 

of the creek, passes through the towii and leaves its 
western border at an elevation of 1470 feet above sea 
level. 

The valley through which the Cobleskill Creek runs 
is a home illustration of the wonderful manner in 
which the earth has been prepared for man. Rich- 
mondville belongs to the great plateau which lies along 
the southern and western part of Schoharie County. 
In the glacial period the sheet of ice thousands of feet 
in thickness, which covered the county, in its slow 
movement south and southwest, not only rounded the 
hill-tops, striated rocks, and made from the ground- up 
material the rich soil we find in everj^ part of the 
county, but also plowed two great valleys. Through 
one of these flows the Cobleskill Creek. Had not the 
glacier cut through the solid rock at Richmondville, it 
is doubtful whether a direct route could have been 
found for a railroad connecting Albany and Bingham- 
ton and thus opening the Susquehanna valle}^ and its 
tributaries to eastern travel and trade. 

The first settlers were Germans, George Warner and 
John Zeh, who in the spring of 1764 settled near where 
the present village of Warnerville is situated. Warner 
was a patriot, one of the Schoharie Committee of Safe- 
ty, and several attempts were made to either capture 
or kill him. xVt last they were successful in his cap- 



144 StJMMARY 0^ 

ture, for December T 8th, 1782, Setli's Henry with a 
band of fellow savages surprised him at his home and 
carried him off to Canada. About eleven months 

afterward he was exchanged and allowed to return to 
his home. 

The "Battle at Cobleskill," fought May 30th, 1778, 
between the American forces under Captains Patrick 
and Brown and the Indian forces under Brant, was 
fought near Warner's house, so that while Cobleskill 
has the honor of the engagement, Richmondville now 
claims possession of the battle field. 

12. Schoharie. Schoharie was originally a dis- 
trict in Albany County, afterward a town, and at the 
time the Legislature formed Schoharie County out of 
Albany and Otsego Counties, the town of Schoharie 
embraced a large part of the present county. At the 
organization in March, 1797, five towns were set off 
from it — Middleburgh, Blenheim, Broome, Cobleskill, 
and Sharon. These with Schoharie constitute what 
are sometimes called "The six original towms." It 
must not however be thought the present boundary of 
these towns is the same as that given at the formation 
of the county. 

The early settlers were the Palatinate Germans who 
came in 1713, as stated in another chapter. Five set- 
tlements upon the east bank of the Schoharie River 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 145 

were made by them within the limits of the present 
town. "Brunnen Dorf," or ''Fountain Town" was 
situated where the village of Schoharie now is. The 
first Lutheran Church — a stone structure erected in, 
1 75 1 — stood within the limits of the present Lutheran 
cemeter}^, covering the lots where Dr. Lintner and 
John Gebhard are now buried. Part of the stones 
used in its construction were used as foundation stones 
of the present Lutheran Church, erected in 1796, and 
still bear deepl}- cut in the blue limestone the names of 
the persons furnishing them for the walls of the first 
church. The wooden building erected in 1743 and 
used as a parsonage and place of worship until the 
stone church was built, is still standing in the south- 
east corner of the Lutheran cemetery lot, near the cold 
spring that gave a name to the settlement, and is th^ 
oldest building in the county. Its sides were original- 
ly covered with home hand- made shingles, fastened 
with hand-made nails. Time and the weather have 
caused the lower shingles to decay, and they have been 
replaced with boards, but those in the upper part on 
the ends of the building still remain as when first put 
on. The building was erected on the arrival of Rev. 
Peter Nicholas Sommers, the first settled minister, who 
served as pastor of the church more than forty years, 
and now with his wife lies buried under an appropriate 

10 



SCHOHARIE COUKTY. 14? 

monument in the cemetery where his first church 
stood. Why this wooden building was not burned in 
Johnson's raid in October, 1780, we cannot tell. Per- 
haps the tories and Indians obeyed Johnson's and 
Brant's order to "spare the churches" better at Scho- 
harie than they did at Middleburgh where the Dutch 
Church w^as burned by them. 

The geological exposure of strata in the town is un- 
excelled, if, indeed, it is equalled in any of the other 
towns in the county. The series ranges from the 
Hudson River shale to the Hamilton, and is found in 
an undisturbed order; some of the layers are rich in 
fossils; and the limestone is so fine grained, compact, 
and hard it furnishes most excellent examples of gla- 
cial action. The surface of some of the layers is 
smoothed, striated, furrowed, polished by the glacier; 
some of the layers have all the polish of a modern lapi- 
dary's art, and specimens can be procured of any de- 
sired size. 

The Schoharie Valley Railroad connects with the 
Albany & Susquehanna Railroad at Schoharie Junction 
on the east side of the river opposite the village of 
Central Bridge, and gives an easy outlet for travel and 
for farm produce. The Schoharie River flows in a 
northerly direction through the central part of the 
town, receiving in its passage the inflow of Stony 



148 SUMMARY OF 

Creek and Fox's Creek on its eastern side and Coble- 
skill Creek on the western. At Central Bridge are 
agricultural works and flouring mills that do an exten- 
sive business, and at Schoharie village are flouring 
mills, and just east of the village a quarry that is ca- 
pable of sending out carloads of dressed and undressed 
limestone of superior quality for building and other 
architectural purposes. 

13. Seward. By an Act of the Legislature Sew- 
ard w^as formed from Sharon, February nth, 1840, 
and was named in honor of William H. Seward, who 
was Governor at the time. 

The first settlements were made in the northwestern 
part of the town not far from the present villages of 
Seward and Dorloch by honest, industrious, and frugal 
Germans, 1754, and the settlement was called New 
Dorloch in memory of their okl home. 

The Westkiil, the chief northern branch of the Co- 
bleskill Creek, flows southeast through the center of 
the town, crosses the northeast corner of Richmond- 
ville, and enters the Col)leskill at Warnerville. The 
Sharon and Cherry Valley branch of the Albany & 
Susquehanna Railroad, after leaving the junction at 
Cobleskill village, crosses the Westkiil and follows up 
the western side of the stream through the town, giv- 
ing a quick and easy outlet for the farm products. 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 149 

Farming is the chief industry of the town, dairying 
and hop raising being the principal branches. Seward, 
in both the quantity and the quality of hops produced, 
is one of the leading towns in the county. The apples 
also are good; and a vinegar factory makes and ships 
to the cit}^ markets large quantities of excellent vine- 
gar. There are no quarries of any extent in the town. 
Yet it is said there are localities near the railroad 
where good flagging stone of any required thickness or 
desired size can be procured. If this should prove cor- 
rect here is an opportunity for a profitable industry. 

The history of Seward during the Revolution shows 
again how insecure was human life on our frontier. 
At least three times during the war Seward was visited 
b}^ Indian and tory bands, and each time mangled 
forms, dead stock, and burned buildings told where 
they had been. While by far the greater part of the 
inhabitants were true to the American cause, here was 
the home of the tory leader Philip Crysler, brother of 
the Adam Crysler that lived at Vromau's Land. Both 
were notorious tor^^ leaders more brutal, fiendish, and 
pitiless than the indians with whom they associated or 
whose bands they led. 

14. Sharon. When Otsego County was formed 
Seward, Sharon, aud part of Carlisle were included 
within its boundarv. When vSchoharie County was 



150 SUMMARY OF 

formed this territory fell within its limits and formed 
part of the town of Schoharie. At the organization of 
the county in March, 1797, the town of Schoharie, as 
we have already seen, w^as divided into six parts, one 
retaining the original name and the other parts form- 
ing the towns of Middleburgh, Blenheim, Broome, Co- 
bleskill, and Sharon. Before the Revolution there 
were a few settlers within the limits of the present 
town, but during the war the greater part of these 
went to Schoharie or to Fort Hunter on the Mohawk 
for greater safety. Shortly after the war Colonel Cal- 
vin Rich and some other settlers came with their fami- 
lies from Sharon in Connecticut; and other settlers 
came from Schoharie, Cobleskill, and the Mohawk val- 
ley; and when the town was organized in 1797, it was 
named Sharon in behalf of Col. Rich and his Connec- 
ticut friends, who had been active in securing the form- 
ation of the new county and its subdivision into 
towns. 

The Westkill, the main northern branch of the Co- 
bleskill Creek flows southerly through the western 
part of the town. The Sharon and Cherry Valley 
branch of the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad is lo- 
cated in the western part of the town, comes within 
one-half mile of Sharon Springs, and then bearing 
westerly enters Otsego County. Hop raising is the 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 151 

principal industry, and in quantity and quality Sharon 
ranks first in the county. Owing to the quick and 
easy outlet by railroad large quantities of milk and 
butter are shipped to Albany and other large cities. 
There are also a few stone quarries but none extensive- 
ly worked. 

Sharon Springs, located a little southwest of the cen- 
ter of the town, is noted for its sulphur, chalybeate, 
and magnesian springs. To accommodate the crowds 
that flock to it ever}^ summer for health and pleasure 
there are several large hotels and many smaller board- 
ing houses. The largest of the hotels stands upon an 
elevation that overlooks a landscape of rare beauty, 
and it will easily accommodate 600 boarders. 

The engagement described in another chapter and 
known as the "Sharon Battle," fought between the 
forces of Col. Marinus Willett numbering about 260 
men, and a force of over 500 indians and tories led by 
the notorious tory Doxtader, was fought about two 
miles east of Sharon Springs on the northern side of 
the present Western Turnpike. 

15. Summit. This town was formed by an Act of 
the Legislature passed April 13th, 1819, from Jefferson 
and Cobleskill. It is very properly named as it is part 
of the great plateau readbing around the southern and 
.southw^ester;n sides of the £)Ounty, and, while its gener- 



152 SUMMARY OF 

al surface is elevated, the top of Mount Wharton, situ- 
ated near Summit village, according to the New York 
Survey Reports, has an altitude of 2,428 feet above 
sea level. 

A good sized spring a short distance west of Summit 
village is the head of the Charlotte River, which flows 
southwesterly through the town. Where it leaves the 
town it marks a corner in three counties — Otsego, Del- 
aware, and Schoharie. In its further progress the riv- 
er receives the inflow of several streams and becomes 
one of the main branches of the Susquehanna. 

Summit Lake, along whose western shore lies Sum- 
mit village, is a beautiful sheet of water covering about 
75 acres. Its outlet is the Westkill which emerges 
from its southern extremity, flows south and then 
southeast through the central part of Blenheim, and 
empties into the Schoharie. 

There was no settlement in Summit until after the 
Revolution. Frederick Prosper from Dutchess County 
made the first settlement in the spring of 1794. He 
was shortly afterwards followed by other immigrants 
from the Hudson and from New England. Almost 
from the start dairying has been one of the leading in- 
dustries of the town. There are quarries of excellent 
flagging stone near the villages of Summit and Char- 
lotteville, where blocks of any thickness and size can 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 153 

be procured, but the lieav}^ grading between the quar- 
ries and their outlet on the Albany and Susquehanna 
Railroad prevents their being worked to their full ca- 
pacity. 

16. Wright. By an Act of the Legislature 
Wright was formed from Schoharie, April 4th, 1846, 
and named in honor of the Governor Silas Wright, 
The first settlement was made by Jacob Zimmer about 
1735, on the outskirts of the German settlements in 
the Schoharie valley. Farming is the chief industry, 
and the soil is said to be unusually well adapted for 
the raising of winter grain. 

Fox's Creek, which rises in Albany County, flows in 
a western or northwestern direction through the center 
of the town, and receives near the village of Gallup- 
ville a good sized branch that rises in the more north- 
ern part of the town. Gallupviile is the principal vil- 
lage, and receives its name from the Gallup family 
that came from New England about 18 17, purchased 
the land upon which the village is built, and through 
their enterprise and industry built up a thriving and 
progressive village. 

The town suffered from Indian and tory depredations 
during the Revolution. The Indians and tories led by 
the notoiious Adam Crysler began the bloody work of 
their raid on July 26th, 1782, in this town, then passed 



154 SUMMARY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 

down Fox's Creek to near Shutter's Corners, and 
crossed over the hill to the Cobleskill Creek on their 
way to the Charlotte valley. 

Upon the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga quite a 
number of his German troops, instead of returning to 
Europe, came to this town, settled south of Fox's 
Creek, and became thrifty farmers. 



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